A turn for festivity: Lyari forgets violence in wake of World Cup

“Football is the heartbeat of Lyari, & the beat increases every time there is a World Cup,” says local football coach.

KARACHI: For the last few years, Lyari has been termed one of the most dangerous places for anyone to travel due to gang wars, infighting among local Balochs and Kachis and encounters between police and gangsters.

However, these days the congested area with some of the oldest buildings in the city sports colours of the World Cup, complete with flags of different countries hoisted on rooftops and overhead water storage tanks painted and shaped like footballs.

Even the Cheel Chowk – one of the most feared places of Karachi – has a Brazil flag fluttering above the stone bust of an eagle, summing up the love of football for the locals in Lyari.

“Football is the heartbeat of Lyari, and the beat increases every time there is a World Cup,” local football coach Basheer Baloch told The Express Tribune.

“It’s like a festival where we get together to enjoy the matches of the world on screens placed in streets and local grounds. If a favourite team wins, wild celebrations accompanied by bursting crackers ensue; but if they lose, flags are burned with the same intensity.”

Lyari, which has only four football grounds but 172 registered football clubs, is known for its love of Brazil, and the only country that comes close to beating it is Argentina.

During a visit to the area, it was learnt that whenever there is a match of Brazil, a massive rally is taken out on hundreds of bikes and Suzukis carrying flags of Brazil, where fans chant slogans to raise the tempo before the kick-off.

“Carrying out a rally for Brazil is one of the most special things in Lyari whenever there is a World Cup. The locals cannot become part of the rally stand on their roofs and celebrate with youngsters.”

This time, the World Cup has seen a slight shift in the usual suspects, with fans supporting teams like England, Germany, Spain and France. Astonishingly, there are plenty of supporters of Ghana and Belgium as well.

“As long as Ghana were in the tournament, they had a big fan pool in Lyari,” said one of the fans. “I can’t really tell why; maybe the fact that they are Muslims or that the people here think they resemble us.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2014.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.