Football is more than just a game. It has the power of bringing people together. The filmmakers Tony El Khoury and Anthony Lappé produced a short film about the impact of football in bringing peace in Lebanon.
The documentary “Lebanon Wins the World Cup,” which was shot during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, brings two Lebanese war veterans together. Edward Chamoun is a Christian, and Hassan Berri is a Shia. They fought for the Lebanese Forces and the Lebanese Communist Party respectively. Despite their different political views, they have one thing in common, which is their love for the Brazilian football team. They both watched the match between Brazil and Colombia of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Their love of Brazil brought them together. The movie got screened in many Lebanese regions with the support of USAID’s Office of Transitions Initiative (OTI). You can watch it
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The power of this game
This project aimed to bring the Lebanese youth together with the power of football specifically in the zones that are affected by conflicts. The movie toured in Tripoli, Akkar, Wadi Khaled, Bekaa, and Ras Baalbek. More than 1,000 youths attended the screenings. The screenings were accompanied by football tournaments where people from different regions, that often have tense relations with each other, played together. It’s more than a game!
