Bahrain or UAE? The supporter who can’t decide
Bahraini fans are gearing up for what may be the friendliest game of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as they prepare for the tournament’s opening match against the UAE on Saturday.
Hesham Mattar, 28, and 10 of his Bahraini friends have already started preparing their flags and shirts. Although they do not expect Bahrain to win the cup, they are keen to show their support.
“I am excited and we hope we will win, but we also want the UAE to do well,” said the actuary, who has lived in the UAE for two and a half years.
“When I lived in Bahrain, I used to watch our team play there, but this is the first time I will attend a match in the UAE.”
Mr Mattar will be joined at the match by several non-Bahraini friends who used to live in the country, but now live in Dubai. The group plan to attend all Bahrain’s matches – the next one is scheduled for January 10 at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.
“I don’t think we can win the cup, but if we can qualify out of the group that will be a big achievement,” he said.
If Bahrain are knocked out of the cup, Mr Mattar said he will cheer on other GCC teams. His friend, Bahraini Talal Al Sharif, said he was particularly excited about the match because it is part of the “biggest football competition in Asia”.
“The fact that it is so big is exciting, particularly for Bahrain because we have never won it and we have never qualified for the World Cup. Every year is a hopeful year,” the 25-year-old account manager said.
Bahrain’s best performance in the Asian Cup was in 2004 when they lost to Japan 4-3 in the quarter-finals, and then lost to Iran in the third-place play-off, finishing fourth.
“Playing against another Gulf country is considered a big game for any Gulf national who follows football,” Mr Al Sharif said.
He does not expect Bahrain to last for long in the cup, but said participating in the tournament will be good practice for a young team.
“For the past couple of years Bahrain has been going through quite a big transition, particularly because a lot of senior players have retired,” he said.
In Argentina, football rivalries were in the spotlight after the double postponement of the historic Copa Libertadores final between Buenos Aires rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors because of fan trouble.
Yet in the UAE, rivalries are friendlier, and allegiances are not as clear cut for everyone.
Mohammed Al Balooshi, 25, whose father is Emirati and mother Bahraini, said he could not be more confused about who to cheer for.
“The problem is [the two countries] are one nation – how can I choose one over the other? I am lost,” the fitness coach said.
“My blood is Bahraini and my heart is Emirati, so I will have to cheer for both.”
He said his solution could be to wear a UAE shirt for the match, with a Bahraini scarf.
“Whichever team scores, I will cheer with them,” he said.
He plans to attend the match with a friend who will be cheering for the UAE. The last time he went to a football match was when Bahrain hosted the Gulf Cup in 2013.
“The UAE won the final and I was happy and felt satisfied, so did not feel the urge to follow football after that,” he said.
“However, now that both my teams are playing against one another, I feel the urge to follow the match,” he said.