Fans unite in the Capital
abu dhabi — Mohamad Amin is 82 and uses a walking stick to move around but that hasn’t stopped him from hitting the road to Zayed Sports City Stadium to watch his local team Al Jazira and most loved international club Real Madrid in action in the Fifa Club World Cup semifinal match.
“My children are busy. They couldn’t come so I took a bus and I’m here. I used to play football. I catch all the football action on TV. I support Al Jazira as a local club but I will root for Real Madrid,” he said gleamingly while adjusting his spectacles.
The words R-E-A-L M-A-D-R-ID makes the octogenarian dump his walking stick and take a few strides. He doesn’t want to be photographed nor has a ticket for the match. “I am here for the experience – UAE team and World’s best are in here. If I am lucky I will be in or stay outside and watch on the big screen,” the Sudanese said.
It is not just the biggest match in UAE’s club football history but also it is about uniting the world in the UAE Capital.
Real Madrid have fans all over the world but none would be as passionate and devoted as the UAE’s very own Pena Seven Emirates.
Formed just few years ago, this growing local group of about 400500 football fans are among the hundreds of Pena Madridista fan clubs. And even though the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ are in the semis, it hasn’t stopped the members from rooting for Real Madrid. In fact, they are going all out with tifo: ‘Welcome to Abu Dhabi’.
“The group is full of Emiratis and Arabs. We have members from Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, Algeria, Morocco and more. Our group is based in Abu Dhabi. We are very proud that Al Jazira are in the semis but we are also Real Madrid fans. This is a great opportunity for the UAE, fans and everyone to enjoy,” Jasim Safar, Pena Seven Emirates member, said.
“We, the group from the UAE, are now officially recognised by Real Madrid Club de Futbol,” he proclaimed.
For Pena Seven Emirates members, discussions on Real Madrid never end. “We engage in Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Meetup, WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms.”
The group has spread wings all over the UAE. “We have coordinators in every emirate.”
Elaborating on the fan clubs, Safar said such groups unite people from all over the world in supporting ‘Los Blancos’. And for once, Pena Seven Emirates have a job to do other than supporting and discussing about Real.
So, what’s next? “We are all looking forward to a gala lunch with the club.”
Pena Seven Emirates members are already looking ahead to the next Fifa Club World Cup 2018.
“Now we need new names. I think Al Wasl or Al Ain will be up for this challenge next time around,” he added.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com