Given all the wild fluctuations of an epic Club World Cup final on Saturday night, it was no surprise supporters of both the champions and the vanquished were emotionally spent by the end.
Then consider the case of Jamir Valiyamannil, a 31-year-old accountant originally from Kerala and now living Dubai who, despite being a diehard supporter for years, was taking in just his second Chelsea game in the flesh.
The first had been three days earlier, when the European champions had sealed their place in the final with a 1-0 win over Saudi side Al Hilal.
He took up a seat in the same place, in Block N1 of the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, in the lower tier approximately adjacent to the six-yard line at the northern end of the ground.
Which was, by chance, the exact spot Kai Havertz peeled away to celebrate the winning goal, two hours after kick off - and the best part of six since Valiyamannil had arrived at the ground.
“It was the best moment in our life,” Valiyamannil said. When you consider the details, it is easy to see why.
His beloved club champions of Europe, and now champions of the world.
The quirks of fate which had seen Japan cede hosting rights of the tournament because of the pandemic, then Qatar pass it over, too, because they had the Arab Cup on instead. All of which meant the matches were taking place an hour or so down the E11 from Valiyamannil’s home, so attending was finally a viable option.
A monumental match, in which he and his fellow Blues fans screamed themselves hoarse as they battled – vainly – to hear themselves over the din of the extraordinary Palmeiras support.
After the seminal moment Havertz opted to bypass the travelling London crew of Chelsea supporters and start a frenzied pile-on in front of Valiyamannil and his troupe of exiled Keralite Blues instead.
Then after it all, just because everything had not been dreamy enough till that point, Thiago Silva – player of the tournament Thiago Silva – chucked him his shirt.
“It was all a dream come true,” Valiyamannil said. “All the English fans were there, but he [Havertz] did not stop there. He came to us. It was such a precious moment.
“I had taken a sign to both matches saying: ‘Hey, Thiago Silva, may I have your jersey, please?’ His wife, Belle, was there in the stands. I approached her and took a picture with her.
“I asked her if she could make a request for his jersey. She said she would try her maximum. When he came with the trophy, she pointed us out. He had an extra jersey, and he threw it to me.”
Valiyamannil first started supporting Chelsea as a teenager, just after the advent of the Roman Abramovich era. He became besotted by Frank Lampard and John Terry, and never missed a game – albeit from a distance.
“In Kerala, football has good supporters, not only club wise, but for the international teams in terms of the World Cup as well,” he said.
“We celebrate as though we are hosting all 32 teams of the World Cup. Supporters will put flags and banners in the street. It is like a celebration in Kerala. We people love football.”
After moving to Dubai seven years ago, he set about starting up a fan club for exiled Keralites in the UAE. In 2020, Chelsea recognised Dubai Blues as an official supporters club.
The club was out in force for the final, with most of them new to the live Chelsea experience.
“As soon as it was rescheduled to Abu Dhabi my first thought was, ‘How can I get tickets?’,” said Fahad Ahmed, an 18-year-old university student and Keralite, who was born and raised in Dubai.
“I met these guys and they helped me get tickets very quickly. I’m just very, very happy to be here. I always thought I would go to Stamford Bridge to see my first game, but to do it here is just an unreal experience.
“I have never been to a home game, I have never been to an away game – but I’m guessing this is what an away game feels like. You wouldn’t expect anything less from Brazilian fans. They’re loud, but we made sure we’re loud, too.”
The manner of the Dubai-based fan club’s support for Chelsea differs subtly from that which is characteristic to Stamford Bridge.
Some songs are the same, but others are unique. A bellowed “Chel-seea, Chel-sea!” has a similar intonation to the “Ind-eea, Ind-ia!” chant more readily associated with cricket.
Another is almost indecipherable. “It is not Malayalam, but it is our style of cheering,” Valiyamannil said.
“Heeya hoah, Chelsea – there is no meaning to it, but for any football match or other competition, even at elections, we will use this chant because of its energetic rhythm.”
That energy was clearly appreciated by the Chelsea players. First there was the Havertz goal, then after the prize-giving and the fireworks stopped, they were generous in their time thanking the fans.
“This is the first time most of us have watched Chelsea play live,” Valiyamannil said. “I have never been to Stamford Bridge. Two times my visa got rejected.
“It is a lifetime opportunity to host the Club World Cup here. For them to win the match, it is like a dream come true for Dubai Blues fans.”
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Marital status: Single
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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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.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
