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World Cup fever grips Bangladeshis

By Naim-Ul-Karim (Xinhua)    10:48, June 10, 2014
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DHAKA, June 10 -- At dinner tables, family gatherings, business meetings and even at tea stalls, the World Cup, which is going to unfold in Brazil in two days, becomes the favorite topic of discussion not only in the capital Dhaka but all over Bangladesh.

The FIFA World Cup is highly popular in this country of about 153 million people.

Fans are seen buying jerseys and hoisting flags of their favorite teams at homes, streets, schools and even on rooftops of cars and buses.

The whole country has been agog and in a festive mood with the World Cup all set to start in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 12, where host Brazil will raise the curtain during its opening game against Croatia.

Jerseys of iconic players like Messy, Neymar and Ronadlo are in high demand in the local market, said Mohammad Faruq, a salesman in Dhaka's Holland Center Shopping Complex.

He said most of the buyers are teenagers and college students who are big fans of soccer.

Even children come with their parents to buy World Cup jerseys, he added.

Hawkers are also seen selling jerseys and flags along busy streets and in the downtown area of the city.

Bangladesh garment makers reported that they have made millions of soccer jerseys, T-shirts, flags and hats for fans of all the World Cup's 32 teams and already sent their products to clients all over the world.

Mohammad Hatem, acting chief of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), told Xinhua that they have supplied some 500 million pieces of jerseys to foreign buyers.

There has also been a huge demand for flags of countries participating in the World Cup, according to Rahim Miah, a young hawker.

Miah said he sells more flags of Argentina and Brazil, the favorite teams of the Bangladeshis. "We like Latin football games because the players display agility, superb dribbling ability with their swift movement which can't be found in other players," said Abdur Rahman, a Dhaka University student.

Like previous years, Rahman said the university management will set up giant generator-powered screen in the campus so that students can watch the World Cup games right on the campus.

"Even if Bangladesh is not in the competition, we are still a part of this mega event as our ready-made garment factories made jerseys for many participating teams and millions of fans all over the world," said the Dhaka University student.

Some fans, however, are worried about possible power cuts during the games.

"Our key concern is now whether there will be an interruption in the power supply during the World Cup matches," said Mushfiqul Islam, a soccer enthusiast.

Sources said that Bangladesh authorities have taken some steps to keep power supply uninterrupted at least during the World Cup matches.

During 2010 World Cup, angry fans stormed power offices and attacked electricity officials after power supply went off during matches.

The country has chronic power shortages. The country's power plants are currently generating around 6,500 MW daily against a peak demand of about 8,000 MW.

(Editor:Sun Zhao、Liang Jun)

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