5.5 Culture: Soccer Language in the Arab world

Warm-up

Watch this video featuring a song by Nancy Ajram.

Keywords: شجع بعلمك support with your flag

Also watch below is a clip celebrating the world cup 2022 in Qatar.

Culture Notes

• Soccer is considered the first popular sport in the Arab world.
• Many channels and networks specialize in broadcasting and analyzing soccer games.
• Each Arab country has its national teams that compete locally and attract wide audience.
• Many children in the Middle East and North Africa grow up playing it, as well as obsessing over it and its famous sports teams, clubs, and players.

Top 10 Arab Football Clubs: The following is a list of the most successful Arab football clubs according to Forbes Magazine’s ranking system.

1. Al Ahly SC
   City: Cairo, Egypt
   Rival: Zamalek SC (Cairo)
2. Al Hilal Saudi Club
   City: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
   Rival: Al-Nassr (Riyadh)
3. Espérance Sportive de Tunis
   City: Tunis, Tunisia
   Rival: Club Africain (Tunis), Étoile Sportive du Sahel (Tunis)
4. Étoile Sportive du Sahel
   City: Tunis, Tunisia
   Rival: Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunis), Club Africain (Tunis)
5. Al-Ahli Saudi FC
   City: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
   Rival: Al-Ittihad (Jeddah)
6. Zamalek SC
   City: Cairo, Egypt
   Rival: Al-Ahly SC (Cairo)
7. Club Africain
   City: Tunis, Tunisia
   Rival: Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunis), Étoile Sportive du Sahel (Tunis)
8. Wydad Athletic Club
   City: Casablanca, Morocco
   Rival: Raja FC (Casablanca)
9. Al-Hilal Omdurman FC
   City: Khartoum, Sudan
   Rival: Al-Merrikh (Khartoum)
10. Al-Merrikh Sporting Club
    City: Khartoum, Sudan
    Rival: Al-Hilal Omdurman FC

Famous Arab Players: The following is a list of the most famous Arab soccer players currently playing.

1. Mohamed Salah
   Country: Egypt
   Club: Liverpool
2. Riyad Mahrez
   Country: Algeria
   Club: Leicester City
3. Islam Slimani
   Country: Algeria
   Club: Leicester City
4. Yacine Brahimi
   Country: Algeria
   Club: FC Porto
5. Mahdi Benatia
   Country: Morocco
   Club: Juventus
6. Faouzi Ghoulam
   Country: Algeria
   Club: SSC Napoli
7. Mohamed Elneny
   Country: Egypt
   Club: Arsenal
8. Hakim Ziyech
   Country: Morocco
   Club: AFC AJAX
9. Soufiane Hanni
   Country: Algeria
   Club: Leicester City
10. El Arbi Hillel Soudani
    Country: Algeria
    Club: GNK Dinamo Zagreb

Activity (13): Game Reporter Expressions

Watch this video and pick up some expressions that game reporters frequently use.

This is a list you can hear frequently in football games. Can you guess their meanings?