{"id":1283,"date":"2018-01-26T12:32:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T12:32:09","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2018-01-26T12:32:09","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T12:32:09","slug":"10-things-that-prove-that-football-is-more-than-just-a-sport-in-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovin.co\/riyadh\/en\/lifestyle\/10-things-that-prove-that-football-is-more-than-just-a-sport-in-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things That Prove That Football Is More Than Just A Sport In Saudi Arabia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Outsiders just got a slight hint of how passionate we in Saudi are about Football when the country made it to the World Cup Finals after about 12 years. But there are many other things that prove our love for the sport that outsiders don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

1. From the alleyways in small towns to gargantuan stadiums, it is played everywhere.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by \u0645\u0644\u0639\u0628 \u0643\u0648\u0631\u0629 \u062c\u062f\u0629 – Football Field (@captain.azooz)<\/a> on

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2. \u00a0And when we say gargantuan, they really are gargantuan – just look at the size of this one.\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Saudi Explorer (@saudi.explorer)<\/a> on

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3. Called the Jawahara, this stadium, in particular, is good enough to host world cup matches.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by SPECTACULAR SHOWS (@eca2_group)<\/a> on

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4. Local football fans have even coined new words and phrases in Arabic related to the sport like Kullu Harris, Shammet and Anani.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by nadaa (@nadamalasi)<\/a> on

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5. Footballers are kind of like the biggest celebrities here from being brand ambassadors of many brands to gracing the cover of magazines they are everywhere.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Sami Aljaber (@samialjaber)<\/a> on

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6. There is even a widely popular local newspaper called Al Riyadiya that is dedicated to sports and as expected most of it is just related to football.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by ????????GRP_MONDIALY???????? (@grp_mondialy)<\/a> on

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7. The local football league called the Saudi Professional League is one of the biggest leagues in the Arab World.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by \u0646\u0627\u062f\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0627\u062a\u062d\u0627\u062f \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0639\u0648\u062f\u064a (@ittihadclub.sa)<\/a> on

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8. It is hard for one to go out of their homes and not come across a child wearing a T-shirt of their favorite football club.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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9. Some local football clubs have even developed their own stores that sell branded merchandise.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by \u0645\u062a\u062c\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0647\u0644\u064a (@ahli.store)<\/a> on

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10. To make the local matches on par with international standards some of the best foreign referees officiate local matches.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

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A post shared by TimesofSaudia (@timesofsaudia)<\/a> on

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