JOHANNESBURG // From the very beginning the World Cup in South Africa was promoted as an African event, one for the whole continent, not just the host nation. Football is wildly popular across Africa, with fans gathering every weekend to watch European league games on television. Passions are high but African fans are not coming to this year's party.
Ticket sale statistics show that of the five African nations who qualified for the World Cup, Ghana has the most sales at 8,622, followed by Ivory Coast with 5,946 and Cameroon with 5,842. No other country sold more than 5,000 tickets. Given that most people who travel huge distances for the event will go to several matches, the figures suggest only a few thousand people will come to South Africa from each of the continent's competing nations.
Among South Africa's immediate neighbours, the figures are even smaller: Botswana had the most sales up until February (the latest statistics available) with 2,115. It was perhaps over-optimistic to expect large numbers of Africans to attend. It is the poorest continent in the world, overland travel is often difficult and time-consuming, meaning expensive flights are usually the only practical option. Many Africans do not hold passports, and South Africa requires visas for travellers from the majority of African countries. The global financial crisis also hit the continent hard, not so much directly affecting its banks, but the repercussions from the collapse in commodity prices had a major impact.
The ticket sales system did little to help. Overseas sales had to be over the internet, to which few Africans have access, and the lowest-priced seats were reserved for South African residents. Fifa officials have acknowledged the set-up was not as "friendly" as it might have been. But the most successful African teams may well find themselves still being backed by thousands of avid supporters. If and when South Africa are knocked out, many locals have said they intend to adopt another African team.
sport@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Dunki
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013