Ochirvaani Batbold, 26, is a Mongolian Manchester United fan who was at Sunday's dramatic FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley. His method of transport was likely different from most in the 83,672 crowd. He cycled. From Mongolia, a journey of nearly 7,000 kilometres.
He set off 11 months ago and was declined a British visa three times until he finally prevailed. The National met him before the game on Wembley Way and had just one question: Why?
“I love football,” he said. “When I was a teenager, I started to play football. Also, I started to dream about playing for Manchester United. I played football for 10 years. The first two years of my career started very successfully and I played in the top league in Mongolia, but in the next three years I suffered a lot of injuries and depression. I just tried to play football for another next five years. For me, United is about dramatic comebacks, The Theatre of Dreams, great players, Sir Alex Ferguson, a great story and a never-give-up mentality.
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“So, I started looking for another way to make my dream come true. But I didn’t want it to be easy. I wanted to do something that inspires others a lot. So for two years I made a road plan and prepared my body.
“The decision to travel by bike was only made two weeks before the trip. I knew I was going to make a trip and long considered running, but for me to do that I needed a team, a lot of money and a car. So I changed my plans and decided to cycle.
“My family, friends and others found out about my trip a week before I left. I didn't really want to take other people’s advice, because I thought people wouldn’t understand what I was trying to do. And they will only talk about impossible things. I thought if I believe in what I do, I can achieve my goal. I thought if I will go by bicycle, I can see a lot of places and can meet a lot of people. Also I wanted to create memories that will never be forgotten in my life.”
Batbold’s journey started on May 5, 2023. He would wake at 7am and cycle around 100 kilometres each day. His final destination would be Old Trafford, Manchester.
“That would take me 8-10 hours [each day]. I would eat lunch at a cafe but I also carried Borts, an air-dried meat cut into long strips which were hung in the shade.”
The Mongolian nomadic lifestyle and the local climatic conditions gave rise to specific methods of preserving meat.
“So when I only have water and salt I can cook and eat,” explains Batbold.
“I tried to cycle for three days and then take a day off. But sometimes I went without a break for seven days. I went through many difficult days and had around 40 punctures. But I was usually very happy at every moment of my trip because I knew I was getting closer to my goal every day, step by step.”
Batbold set off during the late spring. Conditions were agreeable for months.
“I travelled through China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and then finally England.
"Central Asia was the most beautiful part of the journey. I met so many good people and I saw so much beautiful nature. In Samarkand city, Uzbekistan, I got the feeling that I went from modern to historical times. I also met a lot of amazing Manchester United fans there. United have fans around the world – I met them everywhere!
“Iran was interesting. Life was very different there from what I imagined, amazing nature and I met kind people. Everywhere I went, not just Iran, I met very wonderful people. The best part of my trip was when I reached the top of a mountain 1,500 metres above and the climb was around 45kms. This felt like the best and worst part of my trip. It was a long and difficult road that seemed endless. In Europe, Austria. Beautiful.”
But one problem threatened to derail everything.
“I couldn’t get a visa for the UK. Visas were OK until I got to the Schengen area [an area encompassing 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders]." His original plan of reaching Manchester in December or January was thus put on hold until he could clear a visa. Finally, the Mongolian Government supported his application and he could reach England.
“It’s wonderful,” he said as he stood on the steps of Wembley Way ahead of seeing United for the first time. And then he watched the game.
“It was incredibly stressful for me because I was hoping to see United win in my first match. When we conceded the goal in the last minute, I thought it was over. But fortunately it was offside. Finally we won on penalties. The game encapsulated all the emotions of football. It was an amazing experience for me.”
Batbold will spend the next three days cycling from London to Manchester via Leicester and Derby. He intends to reach Old Trafford in time for the Premier League game against Burnley on Sunday. There’s only one issue. He doesn’t yet have a ticket for the game.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
AIR
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Read more about the coronavirus
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
More on Quran memorisation:
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
NINE WINLESS GAMES
Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (Oct 27, PL)
Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (Oct 30, EFL)
Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Nov 02, PL)
Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal (Nov 6, Europa)
Leicester 2-0 Arsenal (Nov 9, PL)
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Nov 23, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Nov 28, Europa)
Norwich 2-2 Arsenal (Dec 01, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Brighton (Dec 05, PL)
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The%20trailblazers
%3Cp%3ESixteen%20boys%20and%2015%20girls%20have%20gone%20on%20from%20Go-Pro%20Academy%20in%20Dubai%20to%20either%20professional%20contracts%20abroad%20or%20scholarships%20in%20the%20United%20States.%20Here%20are%20two%20of%20the%20most%20prominent.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeorgia%20Gibson%20(Newcastle%20United)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20reason%20the%20academy%20in%20Dubai%20first%20set%20up%20a%20girls%E2%80%99%20programme%20was%20to%20help%20Gibson%20reach%20her%20potential.%20Now%20she%20plays%20professionally%20for%20Newcastle%20United%20in%20the%20UK.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMackenzie%20Hunt%20(Everton)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAttended%20DESS%20in%20Dubai%2C%20before%20heading%20to%20the%20UK%20to%20join%20Everton%20full%20time%20as%20a%20teenager.%20He%20was%20on%20the%20bench%20for%20the%20first%20team%20as%20recently%20as%20their%20fixture%20against%20Brighton%20on%20February%2024.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
