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STORY: This Pakistani soccer-crazed neighborhood is known as 'Mini Brazil'

Location: Lyari, Pakistan

(Tahir Khan, Lyari resident)

“Almost all the residents of Lyari love Brazil. Football is very popular in Lyari, the people here love football. Every four years here, this excitement flares up and huge screens are set up. Lyari does not have a small population; it is a huge population. And it is called 'Mini Brazil'.”

Pakistan has never qualified for a World Cup tournament

but many young people still enrol in soccer academies in Lyari

hoping to take to an international pitch one day

(Waseem Sarbazi, Member of a local coaching academy)

“The football frenzy here is so great that it feels like the World Cup is being played not in Qatar but in Lyari. There are countless videos on social media about this. We want FIFA to get involved in football activities in Lyari. They should have an event here because there are an uncountable number of players and spectators here. The flags of all the qualifying countries are on display everywhere; but the Pakistani flag is not. Our flag is not flying here. We would like to have the flag of Pakistan on these walls also.“