By Sami Moubayed

DAMASCUS – Weeks ahead of the football World Cup in South Africa, which began on June 11, millions of Syrian football fans began rooting for their favorite teams. Those did not include their national side – Syria have never qualified for the tournament – but flags of Brazil, Germany, Argentina, France, Italy have been draped across cars and balconies.

Prominent among are the colors of Algeria – the only Arab country playing in this year’s competition.

When the month-long action finally began, giant screens popped up at strategic corners of the Syrian capital of Damascus erected by official sponsor MTN, a South African telecoms firm thatoperates in the country. The chance to watch games for free is welcomed by fans who have not subscribed to al-Jazeera Sports (which also has broadcast rights to the games) or who don’t want to watch the games at trendy coffee shops. In those cafes football fans gather every evening to cheer on their sides while having a quick meal and relaxing with a shishah, or water pipe.
The drive to ensure the Syrian public – and not just the moneyed elite – can watch the World Cup came from the top down. Twenty-four hours before the finals started, President Bashar al-Assad instructed state-run Syrian TV to broadcast 22 games for free, with the Ministry of Information purchasing the rights from al-Jazeera, which bought all the Arab Radio and Television Network’s sport-related rights in 2009.

Syrians are no strangers to football – or to success in the game, which came to the Middle East in the immediate aftermath of World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire, 56 years after England’s Football Association was established in 1863

A Syrian who had visited London during the war, Nuri al-Ibish, took the game home in 1919 and convinced British troops still stationed in Damascus to train Syrian amateur players. The first game was played in 1920 in the marshes of Mezzeh, on the outskirts of Damascus. British Army soldiers made up the opposition.

Ibish coached the home team, and his methods clearly paid off, with the Syrians surprising all and sundry with a four-point win under the scoring system of the time. Syria’s ruler, Emir Faisal (who went on to become king of Iraq), attended the game and rewarded each player with a gold watch as a gift from the presidential palace. Ibish went on to become a cabinet minister in the 1940s.

The game has since been professionalized and now receives government support, with teams in every city – al-Wihdeh is the main team for Damascus. The army (al-Jaysh) and police (al-Shurta) also take the field. Their teams were previously composed of young cadets from the armed forces and police department, who did their compulsory service while playing football. Over the past five years, they have transformed into independent, professional teams and have began to hire and recruit professional players to play against other teams from Aleppo, al-Ahli and al-Itihad, or al-Karameh from the midland Syrian town of Homs.

In 1985, Syria came close to attending the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, but were prevented by a 3-1 defeat dished out by Iraq. Veteran Syrian sports commentator Adnan Buzzo famously sobbed live on air while covering the match. In 1987, Syria did better when they hosted the Olympic Mediterranean Games in the coastal city of Latakia and defeated France 2-1 to secure the football gold.

When their side is absent from the big stage, the loyalties of soccer fans in the region can be sorely stretched, not least when conflicts on the pitch have to compete for attention with the region’s frequent more military battles. In 1982, Algeria’s ability at the World Cup in Spain threatened to be overshadowed by the Palestinian guerillas’ performance on the streets of Beirut in neighboring Lebanon. In 2006, no sooner had Arab football fans wrapped up the frenzy of the World Cup than the Israeli army started an all-out war on Syria-backed Hezbollah, again in Lebanon. With much talk of another summer war in Lebanon this year, many fans are wondering what will come after the final whistle in South Africa.

But before then, Syrians thrilled by Algeria’s 0-0 draw with England are looking forward to watching their Muslim brothers take on the might of the United States on Tuesday. A mere draw won’t be enough to take Algeria through to the next stage of the World Cup, but 90 minutes of shock and awe, with an overwhelming surge of goals, might be enough to do just that – and give the entire Arab world more than a moment of deep and delightful peace.

Sami Moubayed is editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine in Syria