Every four years, the Lebanese take a break from political and sectarian bickering to eagerly follow the World Cup football matches, with the same enthusiasm and intensity, yet with a notable difference: this global sports event might be the only thing capable of temporarily shifting the Lebanese away from their leader’s ‘football’ preferences.
Hours before the kickoff of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, social media erupted with posts, images, and flags of the participating teams, while visible support on the ground waned compared to previous years when massive flags and images would adorn rooftops and balconies, and car convoys would parade the streets chanting for specific teams in a manner reminiscent of election campaigns. However, watching the World Cup in a country besieged by multiple crises has also become a privilege for those who can afford it, especially after attempts to secure televised broadcasts via the official state broadcaster (Lebanon's terrestrial television) for free fell short. Minister of Information Ziad Makari proposed obtaining broadcasting rights at no cost, but his request was met with refusal, leading to negotiations over a financial sum in the millions of dollars that the state has yet to secure.
**Cafes Are Ready**
Football enthusiasts will inevitably turn to subscribe through authorized agents of the broadcasting companies. According to one agent, “the subscription fee amounts to about $90, which at the current exchange rate equals approximately 3 million and 600 thousand Lebanese pounds,” a sum that exceeds the salary of a public sector employee. The same agent noted that the subscription rate in Beirut has dropped from 90% a few years ago to 30% today.
The decline in subscription is not only due to financial reasons; there is also the issue of power outages, which extend beyond the Electricité du Liban to encompass private generators, whose owners have reduced supply hours due to soaring fuel prices.
Faced with this reality, those wishing to watch the World Cup have no choice but to head to restaurants and cafes, which have prepared for the season by setting up screens as per their usual customs during football season.
**The Dream of "On the Field" Faded**
When Qatar was announced as the host for the World Cup, many Lebanese dreamt of watching the matches live from the stadium, but those dreams evaporated alongside their deposits in banks. Today, the aspiration of the Lebanese is simply to be able to watch the matches for free, especially since the majority are unable to afford the subscription and certainly cannot frequent restaurants and cafes amidst the ongoing crisis. Hence, they are left with no choice but to resort to unauthorized cable services, which cost about $10 and come with the struggle of poor picture quality and interrupted broadcasting.
