Millions of Pakistanis were relieved a week ago when their team finished second in the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. Now, sports fans are looking ahead to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where a raging football fever has gripped the otherwise cricket-crazed country.
Streets in Siddique Goth, a suburb of Pakistan’s commercial capital Karachi, are adorned with man-sized portraits and posters of soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo,?Neymar Jr, and?Lionel Messi.
A few streets are also adorned with posters of Egyptian wing wizard Mohamed Salah, despite the fact that the North African country failed to qualify for the finals.
Flags of leading football nations such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, Portugal, and Qatar can be seen in the area.
Residents in a busy square have erected a large screen to watch the slogs together.
The remote neighbourhood, located on the outskirts of Karachi’s Malir district, is also known as Mini-Qatar because hundreds of area youths – ethnic Balochs – work in the wealthy Gulf state.
Moreover, Pakistan, along with China, is supplying soccer balls for the upcoming mega event, which will be held in the winter rather than the summer due to the hot weather in Qatar’s capital.
The official match ball for the 2022 World Cup, named “Al-Rihla,” an Arabic word for “The Journey,” was unveiled in March by Adidas in Doha.
Forward Sports, located on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Sialkot and producing footballs for the German Bundesliga, French league, and Champions League, has produced Al-Rihla for the mega event.
Sialkot’s main strength is not only the production of high-quality footballs, but the city also exports sporting goods such as cricket bats, hockey sticks, and gleaming (cricket and hockey) balls, as well as other accessories such as kits, shoes, and gloves.
Sports goods exports bring in $1 billion per year, with footballs alone accounting for $350 million to $500 million.