São Paulo – The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) World Cup started on Sunday (20) in Qatar and was celebrated around the world, including a the Football Museum in São Paulo that was supported by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). Visitors gathered in the museum to listen to Arab music and eat typical food of the region on the occasion of the opening of the games. Host country Qatar, whose team faced Ecuador in the inaugural match, is an Arab country in the Gulf.
Before the screening of the ceremony and the opening match on indoor and outdoor screens at the Football Museum, located at the Pacaembu Stadium, the audience watched a performance of the band Kervansarai, which played sounds from the Gulf region. Brazil’s Bernardo Bittencourt plays the lute, Lebanese descendant Pierre Salloum plays the globet drum, and Curd Hakan plays the Arab keyboard.
The band performs Eastern sounds featuring three to 12 musicians. Bittencourt studied music in Lebanon and Egypt, as well as Qatar for a brief period. He told ANBA that the group plays songs from the Levant, the North Africa and the Gulf, and that they studied particularly the latter to cater to demands in Brazil. He says that Qatar is a very young country but holds an ancient history, and its music comes from tribes in the Gulf, particularly from Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Before the band performed, there was an official opening ceremony. ABCC Cultural director Silvia Antibas talked briefly about the diversity of the Arab countries, the ABCC’s work, the large community of Arabs and descendants living in Brazil, and the Arab passion for football. “They are many countries that are quite different from each other, and each has its own lifestyle,” she said on the 22 Arab nations, pointing out that they all share a passion for football.
Football Museum executive director Renata Vieira da Motta called the audience to participate in the program that the museum will offer during the World Cup. The technical advisor to the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development and Labor of the city of São Paulo, Carina Beje, talked about the work of her secretariat for income generation in the city. The Observatório de Gastronomia, which is affiliated with the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development and Labor, and the ABCC were partners in the World Cup opening.
Besides the Arab performance, the World Cup inaugural day at the Football Museum featured Arab food trucks. Entrepreneur Luciana Massoudi brought her brand Asmarany from the city of São Roque, São Paulo, to cater to the event. Asmarany is an Arab food catering and delivery service. Massoudi told ANBA that she was honored to represent the Arab countries in the Qatar World Cup opening. She offered various options, including kibbehs, sfihas and shawarmas.
Many Brazilians wearing green and yellow and other colors watched the World Cup opening ceremony and the inaugural match on the screens of the Football Museum. Qatar kicked off the competition with a majestic ceremony in the Al Bayt stadium. It featured the World Cup trophy, a message for unity, and truly spectacular colorful projections. The grass was taken over by flags, symbols and mascots from previous years. Morgan Freeman and influencer Ghanim Al Muftah led the ceremony.
Qatar emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani opened the event. “From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022. How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together,” he said.
Qatar lost 2-0 to Ecuador in the tournament opener. The two teams are part of the Group A, which also includes Netherlands and Senegal, which will face each other on Monday (21) at 1 pm (BRT) and are seen as strong teams. Brazil is in Group G with Cameroon, Switzerland and Serbia. Brazil faces Serbia in its first World Cup match on Thursday (24) at 4 pm (BRT). Besides Qatar, other Arab national teams playing in the 2022 World Cup are Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco.
Read more:
- World Cup: Brazil has support of Arab fans
- Brazilian football fans prepare for Qatar’s World Cup
- Palestinians will have keffiyeh to cheer for Brazil
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
