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On Saturday, the presidents of two of football’s top organisations were seated in the VIP enclosure of the Bahrain National Stadium in Manama. Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini had been in this situation before. As they sat listening to the rambling speeches in Arabic, the two powerbrokers felt like it was all deja vu. Their presence, however, did not make the event any more important than it already was. I had a feeling many of the spectators would not give a second look at Messrs Blatter or Platini. Their thoughts were firmly on the main event – the big one.
At this point, you may be wondering what this mystery event is. It is officially known as ‘The Arabian Gulf Cup‘ or “The Gulf Cup”, but colloquially, it is simply known as just ‘Khaleeji’ (which roughly translates to ‘something of the Gulf”). It is the premier football tournament for national teams of the Arab countries of the Gulf region. The usage of the term ‘Arabian Gulf’ instead of the ‘Persian Gulf’ often ruffles feathers and draws angry responses from Iran, situated across the Gulf. That is only one example of the political connotations of the Gulf Cup. After the end of the first Gulf War (Iraq invaded Kuwait and then got pushed back by an international coalition) in 1991, Iraq was banned from the competition – only returning 13 years later. Saudi Arabia withdrew from the tournament of 1990 after objecting to the political and historical background of the mascot. Leaving politics aside, we still get to see passion of all kinds that is generated by every edition of the Cup. National pride is at stake, and winning the Cup means much more to the people than winning other tournaments like the Asian Cup, or maybe even qualifying for the World Cup. The passion finds it way outside the pitch too. There is the usual exchange of mostly healthy but occasionally offensive banter between the supporters. There is also fierce competition between media organisations who fight for broadcasting rights and try to better each other with extensive coverage – coverage that begins weeks before the event and just falls short of being described as 24×7. A writer can only express this much. You have to be a ‘Khaleeji’ to know how much this ‘Khaleeji’ means to the people of the Gulf.
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The first Gulf Cup – held in Bahrain in 1970
The whole thing was first discussed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. What started out as a four-team event in Bahrain in 1970 is now back in its land of origin for the fourth time, with the participation doubled to eight teams – Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq and Yemen. Today, it’s a multimillion dollar event that brings the Gulf to a stop every two years. I remember the first time I set my eyes on the spectacle. 11 years old and watching curiously, I was treated to an amazing tournament in Qatar in 2004. I remember jumping on my sofa after Qatar won the Cup on penalties in the final.
Qatari players celebrate after winning the 17th Gulf Cup
In that particular year, the Khaliji juggernaut just took on another dimension as upcoming broadcaster Al-Jazeera Sports beamed the Cup to audiences all over the region – a long way from 1974 when the tournament was first televised. Extensive marketing was reflected in the surge in popular excitement. Etihad Airways bagged a sponsorship deal with the organisers and had their ads all over the place. Long story short: unless you were living in a cave in the desert, there was little chance for you to miss this Khaliji.
Legends have graced the Khaleejis over the years. The tournament has seen players coming in as relative unknowns and emerging later as household names. Majed Abdullah, Jassim Yaqoub, Hussain Saeed, Humood Sultan, Adnan al-Talyani, Mansour Muftah, Abdelrazzaq Ibrahim are only a few of the Gulf superstars who lit the Cup alight in the 70s and 80s. In the last two decades, the Iraq-Kuwait duopoly was broken and new stars came into the limelight such as Mubarak Mustafa, Hani al-Dhabit, Jassim al-Huwaidi, Talal Yousef, Mohammed al-Shalhoub, Ismail Matar, Emad al-Hosni, Ali-Al-Habsi and Fahad al-Enezi.
Wigan Athletic’s Omani goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi made the Best Goalkeeper Award his own during the Gulf Cups of 2004, 2007 and 2009.
As I was writing this article, Bahraini coach Gabirel Calderon sent on substitute Abdelwahab Abdulrahman against UAE, with their team 0-1 behind. Abdelwahab duly scored minutes later, sending the vociferous crowd into raptures. I watched in silence as the Bahraini fans clapped, sang and danced as if they were on top of the world. “Red-and-white high up in the sky!“
Then a smile erupted on my face too. This is what football is all about. If three of the last four tournaments are anything to go by, hosts Bahrain have a good chance of winning this Cup. If they do win, then it will be the best gift one can possibly give to the Bahrainis, who have battled and been left bruised and deeply divided after an Arab Spring-inspired uprising. In such hard times, there are few things that can be better than sport in healing wounds and bringing people together.
And then UAE scored.
One beauty of a lofted pass from the left boot of Omar Abdelrahman put Ismail Matar on his way to score but his shot was brilliantly blocked by keeper Syed Jafar – only for substitute Majed Hassan to blast the ball in. A look at the linesman and the referee – it’s alright, it’s a goal alright. Cue “Ole-Ole-Oleee Oleee Oleeeee!” from the UAE end. The flags and scarves are all being waved like it’s the end of the world. Majed rushes to the corner flag and dives to celebrate. Within seconds, his team-mates are all over him. Minutes later, the whistle goes. Football, bloody hell.
UAE fans during the 21st Gulf Cup.
But does that smile on my face disappear? Naah. It just gets wider. As I said, this is what football is all about. Wherever the beautiful game is played on this planet, the players and fans will be testament to football’s power of bringing smiles to people. Bahraini fans must surely be devastated after the loss but I can assure you, they will all be back with their songs on Friday for their last group game against Qatar. These are true football fans, I can vouch for that.
As the youthful team of UAE celebrate (amidst booming chants of “U-A-E! U-A-E!“) in front of their crazy fans, I sign off.
Football is awesome. We are all awesome. May it always be that way. In true Khaliji style: In’shaaAllah.
