Mohammed Faraj works as a janitor at a local university in Mukalla, southern Yemen. Yet when his work is done, he often leaves the broom aside and sneaks out of the office to the nearest Internet cafe on campus where access to the Web is provided for free.
With the help of his friend, he googles the phrase “Real Madrid” — the 23-year-old is an aficionado of the Spanish football team.
“I love the Royal Club to the last,” he told Arab News, while looking at the images of the players.
Abu Faraj, as he likes to be called, is usually dressed from head to toe in a Real Madrid uniform. Even his mobile is covered with the club’s emblem.
“I know the club inside out, its famous players, coaches, and owners. I have been a fan of them since a tender age. I usually stay up waiting for a match involving them.
“I support Real because they are the most successful club in Europe, and has won many cups like the European Cup, the UEFA Cup twice, and the World Club Cup.”
Abu Faraj doesn’t watch local teams. “Watching their matches is a sheer waste of time. They know nothing about sports.”
When his club is due to play, he comes together with his friends to discuss where to watch the game.
When the match is over, he sits with his friends analyzing it for hours.
Abu Faraj said that the games stir up trouble between him and fans of Barcelona, their team’s archenemy.
“There are fights between us and them (Barcelona fans). It evolves into tirades and even gets closer to fist fights.”
Ahmed Bafadhel has been a Barcelona fan for 15 years. “The team is among the best in the world. I love them and always watch their matches. I dislike the misbehavior that follows the matches between the two competing Spanish clubs.”
Omer Abdullah has two cousins — one is a fan of Real Madrid and the other a fan of Barcelona. When the Spanish league kicks off, the family braces itself for the inevitable arguments.
Both share the same motorcycle. Over the course of a day, pictures of Real Madrid players and emblems are affixed to the motorcycle. The next day his brother removes them and replaces them with Barcelona-related images.
“They know the players’ names by heart,” Omer said.
Ghassan Abdoun, sports commentator on Mukalla radio, told Arab News that it is true that the European players fascinate a great number of young people in Hadramout.
“Firstly, the availability of technology like satellite TV enables them to watch the international matches easily. Secondly, the local football competitions failed to attract them because the teams don’t match up to the international standard.”
Ghassan, a big admirer of Barcelona, doesn’t mind the spread of this phenomenon as long as it is in line with Yemeni culture.
“The youths’ talents and hobbies must be rightly guided. Watching matches or admiring any club shouldn’t be at the expense of our religious commitments like praying or social duties like sleeping, work or studying,” he said
“This is the responsibility of the family and the person himself. I hope that our young people don’t fall prey to blind imitating of the players’ culture, such as the way they dress, cut their hair and so forth.”