Arab Idol superstar Assaf might sing in World Cup opening

Palestinian winner of Arab Idol talent show, Mohamed Assaf, could sing together with Columbia’s superstar Shakira in the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Brazil next year, head of soccer’s world governing body said during his second visit to the Palestinian territories on Sunday.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter also promised to help the Palestinian national team.

Meanwhile, Assaf, 23, became the first Palestinian to win the pan-Arab singing competition. He brought together divided Palestinians in celebrations throughout the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip when he was announced as winner in June.

He was named by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) a goodwill ambassador for peace immediately after he won the prize, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offered him a position of “diplomatic standing.”

Assaf, who came ahead of two other contestants, Syria’s Farah Yousef and Egypt’s Ahmed Jamal, dedicated his award to the “Palestinian people, who have been suffering for more than 60 years from [Israeli] occupation.”