Libyan turmoil taints World Cup enthusiasm in Tripoli

TRIPOLI – Tripoli's near-empty coffee-shops on the 20th World Cup opening ceremony and the games that have followed reflectes the extent to which the country's rapidly deteriorating security and economic situation appears to have reduced Libyans' enthusiasm for following football's most celebrated event.

"We've installed big screens in the coffee shop's garden but not many people showed up because commuting has been increasingly difficult due to the fuel crisis and the security tension," Khaled Amer, a café owner, told Anadolu Agency.

Amer expressed disappointment that his café, which was normally frequented by politicians and intellectuals, was "not what it used to be" during previous big sports events.

"I hope life goes back to normal as soon as possible," he said.

Abdel-Rahman Ghomeid, who did follow the World Cup opening ceremony on Thursday and subsequent opener between Brazil and Croatia, said he could not enjoy watching them the way he normally would have.

"The ceremony and the game were pretty exciting but my concern for the country's situation has dampened my ability to enjoy them."

Even some Libyan media outlets overlooked the usual minute-by-minute coverage of the World Cup proceedings and focused on reporting domestic events.

Fears of a possible civil war surrounded the troubled North African country in recent weeks since renegade general Khalifa Haftar declared war on armed militias – some of which have been absorbed into the regular army – in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Recent fighting in the flashpoint city between militiamen and Haftar's forces has left scores dead from both sides.

Security forces in Tripoli have been trying to enforce a tighter grip on the streets as the June 25 parliamentary elections approach.

At the same time the World Cup opening was screened in Tripoli, Libyan security forces raided a number of drug-dealing hubs around the city, which left the streets in a state of tension.

"I don't think the World Cup nor the looming holy month of Ramadan would help ease the ubiquitous political and security tensions which are bound to taint electoral campaigning," Ghomeid said.

The 20th FIFA World Cup football games will take place in 12 Brazilian cities until 13 July.