KARACHI: Lyari, a poor area with narrow streets and multi-story buildings near Karachi’s southern port, is known as Pakistan’s “Mini Brazil” because of its residents’ passion for football.
Football grounds in Lyari are small and large, and most of them are not even properly built, according to Usman Tariq, a teenage player at the Coach Emad Football Academy in the area. However, this does not discourage anyone from playing.
“You’ll see football games all across Lyari,” Tariq remarked. “There’s a game going on at every stadium.” Boys will be kicking a football in the streets.”
During Ramadan evenings, Zaid Abdul Latif, 14, claimed they would run from one pitch to another and between different streets in Lyari to play many matches.
Cricket-crazy Pakistan has never been a big football fan. Its national team has never won a major award in the sport, and its infrastructure is insufficient for international training.
Young Lyari talent, however, has received appreciation from football players such as Ronaldinho, Nicolas Anelka, Ryan Giggs, Robert Pires, David James, George Boateng, and Luis Boa Morte during their 2017 tour to Karachi.
Michael Owen, a former Liverpool striker who moved to Lyari in January, described it as a “hotbed of talent for football.”
Since Karachi got safer, not just foreigners but even local professional players have been more interested in Lyari’s youth-dominated football scene.
Former player and event organizer Waseem Sarbazi predicted that players would travel from all around the city to compete in Lyari.
Ramadan tournaments are staged at 16 large grounds and dozens of tiny grounds, according to Beberg Baloch, the organizer of a nocturnal football event.
“You may see kids playing football, but when they kick a ball, they kick drugs, crimes, and other terrible things associated with our area.”
