CAIRO: Egyptian football fans readied to cheer on national hero Mohamed Salah in today’s Champions League clash and tuck into food from a cart whose owner vows they’ll “never eat alone.”
A tribute to the Reds, the “Liverfuul” cart serves up hot dishes of “fuul” (fava beans) in Ain Shams, a working-class suburb of Cairo.
Mohamed Ahmed, 31, a DJ turned street food entrepreneur, came up with the idea with friend Mohamed Al-Sayed before the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of daytime fasting due to end next week.
The cart, which only operates between 11 pm and 3 am, is emblazoned with Sayed’s red and green design — after the Liverpool football club logo.
Liverpool’s legendary anthem has been amended on the cart to read: “You’ll never eat alone.”
“There’s no one who doesn’t love Salah. We’re avid football fans so the idea clicked one day while we were sitting around, and the response has been huge from the locals,” he told AFP.
“As Egyptians we like to get together, especially during Ramadan, and have a communal meal. So the tagline came naturally and Sayed designed it perfectly.”
Ahmed Adel, a 25-year-old engineer, spotted photos of the cart on Facebook in early May and has been a regular customer.
He is circled every time by dozens of hungry patrons in a carnival-like atmosphere of loud music and football commentary on flat screen televisions.
Named after Liverpool’s Swiss star, Shaqiri-sterma, a mix of eggs and pastrami, is his favorite. A dish named “Mo Salah” is also on the menu.
“The food is great and the atmosphere is friendly,” he said.
He anticipated a Liverpool victory in the UEFA Champions League final against fellow English club Tottenham Hotspurs and two goals for Salah, who has become a source of national pride for Egypt.
Ahmed, the food cart operator, said he was happy that his business had become a gathering point for the club’s fans in the capital Cairo.
“I’m a winner either way, it’s not just about money for me,” he said.
“The first week of business we were running at a loss, but with word of mouth and social media, it has really picked up,” Adel added.
He was counting on Liverpool being crowned European champions against first-time finalists Spurs, after a heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid in last year’s final in which Salah went off injured.
‘You’ll never eat alone’: Football and fava on Egypt menu
‘You’ll never eat alone’: Football and fava on Egypt menu
- A tribute to the Reds, the ‘Liverfuul’ cart serves up hot dishes of ‘fuul’ (fava beans) in Ain Shams, a working-class suburb of Cairo
- The cart, which only operates between 11 pm and 3 am, is emblazoned with red and green and features the Liverpool football club logo
Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot
- The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
- The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said
ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
