World Cup to bring UAE to a standstill

ABU DHABI — Every four years, there is a phenomenon, phenomena that is football. The ‘beautiful game,’ or call it what you will, but the FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting showpiece on the face of the earth, brings the world to a standstill.

By James Jose

Published: Fri 11 Jun 2010, 1:04 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 4:09 AM

And in a soccer-crazy country like the UAE, the disappointment of not qualifying notwithstanding, local and expatriate fans are eagerly awaiting to play ball as the tournament kicks off in South Africa today.

And the excitement and the fever have already caught on in the capital, which has a sizeable population of locals as well, expatriates of different nationalities.

As the sweltering summer sun hides behind the canvas, children and teenagers are already out in their Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo t-shirts for a game of football.

It is also the time when one can see employees or in some cases, employers calling in sick at work to catch the live action. But the live broadcast is coming at a price.

Etisalat is offering the World Cup Package for Dh295 where customers can subscribe to the package offering three Al Jazeera Sport channels—Sport 9+, 10+ and the World Cup channel, and get access to all the FIFA World Cup matches. Al Jazeera Sports is the official broadcasting channel for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

There is another additional option of subscribing to th e full FIFA World Cup package for Dh370 which allows access to 13 channels including the World Cup channel.

But some in the capital feel that it is a huge price to pay.

“I was looking forward to the watching the World Cup. I’m not a big fan but the bug bit me. But the pricing is simply too high. Obviously, everybody is going to bank on it because it is the biggest sporting extravaganza on earth,” said Lintson Vymal, a human resources manager with an IT firm in Abu Dhabi. Bassam, an Algerian, whose country qualified for the World Cup, too echoed the same feelings. “The pricing is high, so I might watch my country in action by watching it at sports bars,” he said.

That would be another option for these die-hard fans—catching the action at sports bars, restaurants and hotels.

In fact, the iconic Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi announced that fans can watch all the games on three-dimensional screens. And what’s more, it is free of charge. Titled the ‘Golden Goal World 3-D Football Lounge,’ at the Emirates Palace, fans can watch the games on golden couches with cocktail dining areas. And they can snack up as well.

Apart from that, Coca Cola has teamed up with Nahtam Social Responsibility to set up an exclusive air conditioned ‘2010 FIFA World Cup Family Tent.’

The tent can accommodate up to 700 people and is situated on the Corniche, opposite Al Ain Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi.

The tent will be open everyday from June 11 through until July 11 from 3.30pm to 12:30 midnight.

Live FIFA World Cup matches will be projected onto a large TV in the screening area of the tent.

Soft drinks, water, snacks and healthy food are also available to purchase. Admission is free to families.

There is a huge inclination towards Argentina with fans believing that with the likes of an in-form Lionel Messi and coached by the legend Diego Maradona, this could be their World Cup.

Spain, Italy and England too figure among the favourites among the fans.

But whoever goes on to lift the Cup, it doesn’t matter, as long as we enjoy the ‘beautiful game’ that is football.

james@khaleejtimes.com