World Cup matches will be aired on big screen for free in the holy city of Makkah.
Islam’s holiest city, Makkah, is offering football fans the opportunity to watch matches for free as the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament enter its third day in Brazil.
Enormous screens will be placed in two parks, said Hisham bin Abdulrahman Shelley, the municipality’s general director of facilities and parks.
Football is the most popular sport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is governed by Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF).
Saudi cleric issues fatwa against football
Meanwhile, prominent Saudi scholar, Sheikh ‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-Barrak has said that football is a moral and social abomination.
“There is no doubt that football, played according to [the accepted international rules], has caused Muslims to adopt some of the customs of the enemies of Islam, who are [preoccupied with] games and frivolity. [This game] causes many abominable and corrupt acts,” he said.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
“One of the central issues with the sport, which goes against the pillars of Islam, is the act of being a “fanatic” fan. “A social abomination, manifest in being a fanatic [fan] of a certain team, which spawns hostility between the fans of different teams.”
