Lebanon crisis means ‘no football this year’ for World Cup fans
Football fans looking for a respite from Lebanon’s crushing economic crisis have found a challenge in simply watching the World Cup after the bankrupt state failed to pay for broadcasting rights.
“No football this year,” said Jean Bassil angrily, flicking through channels on his old-fashioned television screen.
“They have deprived me of the only fun thing amid all this bad news,” the 58-year-old said at his small phone accessories shop in Jounieh, north of the capital Beirut.
Lebanon has been gripped by an economic crisis that the World Bank dubbed one of the worst in modern history.
Since late 2019, the local currency has lost more than 95 per cent of its market value, and poverty rates have climbed to cover most of the population.
Right until the start of the World Cup on November 20, Lebanese had hoped the matches would be broadcast free on public network Tele Liban, as was the case during the 2018 tournament.
But the caretaker cabinet has never approved the $5 million expense.
This has left many football fans with little choice but to watch the tournament in cafes, or via bootleg streaming services on their phones — though many complain Lebanon’s sluggish Internet has made this difficult.
“After these three years, we
Lebanese feel we need this fun,” said Samer Idriss, an 18-year-old student, at a cafe-restaurant in Dekwaneh, east of Beirut.
The flags of teams such as Brazil, Argentina and Germany dot the streets of towns and cities across Lebanon.
But amid the country’s overall gloomy outlook, even the usual football fever seems somewhat toned down.