ABU DHABI // When the Fifa Club World Cup kicks off in the capital tomorrow, Jassim al Ameri will be giving up more than a few hours with his family to be part of it.
The 32-year-old father of two will also sacrifice a big chunk of his annual leave to work as a volunteer area manager in the tournament's accreditation centre.
Taking part in the World Cup will be the champions from six continents, including Italy's Inter Milan and South Korea's Seongnam. Al Wahda will represent the UAE in tomorrow's opening match against Hekari United from Papua New Guinea.
Mr al Ameri has been hard at work since November 26.
"I've had only one day off, which was National Day," he said. "Every other day, we are working 10am to 10pm."
The petroleum engineer is one of 450 Emiratis who will be making sure the event runs smoothly as part of Takatof, the volunteering programme run by the Emirates Foundation.
When fans arrive at the airport, the volunteers will be there to help them get to their hotels. They will be at the stadiums, too, to guide visitors to their seats.
"I love to help my country," said Mr al Ameri. "It gives us a lot of things and we have to pay it back."
Hamad al Mhyas, a 31-year-old forensic geneticist from Abu Dhabi, said he wanted to show the country in a good light.
"Some people have their own impressions of people from here," he said. "They all think we live in big houses and spend all our money. I've lived for many years abroad and some have the wrong impression about us."
He said the 10-day tournament was an exciting time for him. "You get to improve your communications with people and improve your own qualities," he added.
For the duration of the tournament, he will do a full day in his government job, finishing at 2pm but staying on to deal with Fifa-related e-mails. From there, he will head to the tournament headquarters at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, where he will work until 10 each night.
"You constantly meet people from different countries, parts of Abu Dhabi and other emirates here. I see people who really want to do this."
As well as supervising the Football Village on the Corniche, he is also in charge of marketing and rights for the tournament, and of its media centre.
"We have volunteers all over the place and it's my job to look after the volunteers [to] make sure everything runs smoothy."
All that means he will be on his feet for at least six hours each match day.
"We had to wear trainers last year with our kandouras and I'm advising everyone else to do it this year."
During matches he will be on the lookout for any unofficial advertisers. Last year, that job put him in the unenviable position of having to tell some fans that their flags, logos and even company pins were not allowed past the gate.
"Team flags and logos with sponsors that are not official Fifa sponsors are not allowed in. When you talk to people from different nationalities and countries, you have to be very delicate with them and explain it."
Mr al Ameri and Mr al Mhyas have both volunteered before.
Mr al Ameri worked as a marshal at Abu Dhabi's two grands prix. Over the three days of each race weekend, he was stationed at the airport to welcome fans to the country.
"I don't have much time to sleep but I love to volunteer and help my country to make it successful," he said.
Mr al Mhyas has been more focused, volunteering at every international football event in the UAE since the Gulf Cup opening ceremony in 1994.
There is a downside to that focus: volunteers are not necessarily stationed at good vantage points for watching the matches.
Mr al Mhyas is determined to see some of the action, though.
"This year, I hope to see the final and semi," he said.
eharnan@thenational.ae
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
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Torque: 760Nm
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Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS