{"id":321299,"date":"2022-11-20T16:40:10","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T19:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=321299"},"modified":"2022-11-22T12:48:04","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T15:48:04","slug":"world-cup-kicks-off-in-qatar-and-brazils-football-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/world-cup-kicks-off-in-qatar-and-brazils-football-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup kicks off in Qatar and Brazil\u2019s Football Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) World Cup<\/strong> started on Sunday (20) in Qatar and was celebrated around the world, including a the Football Museum in S\u00e3o Paulo that was supported by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> (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.<\/p>\n

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Kervansarai: Goblet drum, lute, and Arab keyboard<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/strong>, which played sounds from the Gulf region. Brazil\u2019s Bernardo Bittencourt plays the lute, Lebanese descendant Pierre Salloum plays the globet drum, and Curd Hakan plays the Arab keyboard.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Beje, Antibas, and Motta: Opening of festivities<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u2019s work, the large community of Arabs and descendants living in Brazil, and the Arab passion for football. \u201cThey are many countries that are quite different from each other, and each has its own lifestyle,\u201d she said on the 22 Arab nations, pointing out that they all share a passion for football.<\/p>\n

Football Museum<\/strong> 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 S\u00e3o Paulo, Carina Beje, talked about the work of her secretariat for income generation in the city. The Observat\u00f3rio de Gastronomia, which is affiliated with the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development and Labor, and the ABCC were partners in the World Cup opening.<\/p>\n

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Asmarany participated with a food truck<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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 S\u00e3o Roque, S\u00e3o Paulo, to cater to the event. Asmarany<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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 <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

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World Cup opening was watched on a big screen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Qatar emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani opened the event. \u201cFrom 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/em><\/p>\n