Watching the World Cup in Palestine

Palestinians, like many other people all over the world, love the football world cup. Most people, including many women I've spoken to, have a team they're supporting. Frequently, as last night bore witness, this team is Brazil. This is partly because they're picking the favourites, and partly because La Liga is the most high profile domestic league here.

Coca Cola (big bottling plant in Ramallah) and Jawwal (the Palestinian mobile phone company) have taken advantage of this popularity, and set up a number of big screens in Ramallah and the villages around. It costs 5 shekels to watch all the games screened that day here, and you also get a free drink. Crowds have varied in size, but Brazil definitely drew the largest last night. Tunisia is also quite popular, representing the only Arab team with a chance of qualifying.

Interestingly, the television rights for the region were bought by a company called ART (Arab Radio and Television network), who are charging $400 a year for subscription to their package of channels. This is a lot more than many people here (and no doubt elsewhere) can afford. However, thankfully all the Palestinian channels (there are four in Ramallah for instance) pirate the footage from ART and broadcast it for free. The big screen events actually have an ART subscription, because Coca Cola and Jawwal have paid for it.

Watching the games on ART is quite amusing actually, because the commentator basically just shouts like a fan for the whole game. Particularly when Tunisia are playing, he essentially just cheers for them.

"Run [insert player's name], run!"
"THANK GOD! THANK GOD!" [After another Spanish near miss].

He also has a habit of coming up with the most random (and frequently racist) sentences, especially in the second half when he's running out of things to say.

"Argentina. Eva Peron. Flamingo" (?!?!)
"Japan, like a computer virus that seeks to destroy the Brazilian system."

He even started to talk about Sven Goren Erikkson's affair and the tabloid expose that followed during the England-Sweden game. Tunisia-Ukraine (later today) may be the last game where he's able to express his outright partisan support, but I suspect that like most people here, his allegiances will easily shift come the next round. There should be a good crowd though, with Tunisia needing the win to progress.

Yella Tunis!