لخّصلي

aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian who grew up in Jerusalem, uses personal stories and cross-cultural education to promote peace and to bring people from different cultures together.The following reading passage is an adaptation of his National Geographic blog post titled "Why the World Cup Is About More Than Soccer," which he wrote while attending the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.
CHILDHOOD DREAM In 1986, I watched my first soccer match on my parents' big box television, our family's first color TV that my father had purchased just for the event.I was six, and it was the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina.3
Ever since then, I have dreamed of attending the World Cup, and soccer has been my favorite sport.This was partly because it was the only sport I could play, since there was no infrastructure for other games.All we needed for soccer was a ball and a street with limited traffic
This year, I traveled to Brazil to make my dream of attending this international sporting event a reality.I was excited not only because I was at the World Cup, but also because I was in Brazil, the country that has won the cup more times than any other s FRIENDS AND STRANGERS The first match I attended was between Australia and Spain.Within minutes of walking into the stadium, I found myself surrounded by the excited buzz of other fans, talking and cheering together.Every now and then we hear about violence due to a soccer game, but
this match was mainly peaceful, except for one fight that broke out between a few people in my section of the stadium.Unlike what one normally sees on the news, which tends to broadcast images of vandalism and fighting most of the fans in the stadium tried to break up the fight.s When the fight started, the whole section- thousands of people-began chanting with one voice, asking those fighting to stop.When they didn't, those same thousands of people-supporters of both teams-told the rabble-rousers to leave!Minutes later, they were escorted out of the stadium.Australian and Spanish fans refused to join a fight based on "nationalism" in sport.This is what sports should be about!

What struck me about the games I attended was the sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship, an atmosphere that is usually ignored on television in favor of stories about isolated outbreaks of violence.I met English Australian, Algerian, Spanish, American, Russian, Lebanese, Argentine, and many Brazilian soccer fans, among others.Sometimes we were cheering for the same team and sometimes for opposite teams, but that didn't stop us from becoming friends.The stands were not divided between teams, and the interaction was often spirit-lifting. I also watched the game in São Paulo that ousted Brazil from the World Cup.I was with friends at a large bar in the area, which hosted
a mix of Brazilian and German supporters.As Germany scored one goal after another, the sadness and even tears were visible on the faces of Brazilians.But German fans came to the Brazilians to co fans were receiving text messages from German friends, apologizing that the game was ending with such a big gap.Everyone was hoping for the teams to play their best and for a good match . BUILDING BRIDGES a What I love about the World Cup is it provides a chance for millions of people to learn about other countries and cultures.People learn about the countries of the teams they support and about their opponents' history, culture, and even some new phrases in a foreign language.This year's World Cup coincides with Ramadan, which is the month when Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.Some players from Algeria, Nigeria, Germany, Belgium, and France were fasting during their matches.Thanks to these Muslim players, millions of people learned about the diversity of these countries and about the religious tenet of fasting.Soccer is a game that not only gives people the chance to learn about each other but also has the potential to unite people.Sports can be a dividing force, but the true spirit of sports is about unity, fun, and innovation.The matches at this World Cup o have been exactly that so far, and I hope it remains so, because millions of children all over the world are watching these games and being inspired by what happens here in Brazil.It is amazing to me that the final game of this year's World Cup is between Argentina and Germany, a repeat of the first two World Cups I watched as a child!