I moved to Germany in 2005 as the country was gearing up to host the World Cup 2006. Coming from the United States, I was intrigued by football culture and found it a convenient and practical way to assimilate to my new surroundings and language.
My Bavarian husband, Guenther, became my football concierge, patiently and enthusiastically answering all of my questions about the sport, and explaining the history of Die Mannschaft and its key players. We put up a flag, I donned a Trikot, painted my face schwarz-rot-gold, and we attended as many public viewing events as possible. The loss to Italy was devastating and I cried for days, then summoned the strength to choose Bayern Munich as my club team so I could continue to follow many of the players I had grown to love.
We were living in Abu Dhabi by the time the 2010 World Cup rolled around and I kept up with the news and the games as a connection to my former German home. We watched the team develop as old players left and new members joined. By 2011, it was a point of pride for Guenther that Mario Goetze, who was born in Guenther’s hometown of Memmingen, had made the national team and was eventually named in the World Cup squad in 2014.
On the night of the 2014 finals, we were huddled around our favourite table at Stars N’ Bars on Yas Island, hoping for a repeat performance of the team’s 7-1 win over Brazil in the semi-finals. But the game remained goalless and I remember we got a text message from my stepdaughter in Memmingen about how nervous she was.
I was too engrossed in the game to respond but I intended to say: "Hang in there. We're just waiting for Goetze." Sure enough, at the 88th minute, Joachim Low substituted Miroslav Klose for Goetze – reportedly telling him to show the world he is better than Messi – and at the 113th minute of extra time, Andre Schurrle passed to Goetze from the far left, Goetze caught the ball on his chest, dropped it to his left foot and rifled it past the Argentinian keeper. Mayhem ensued. The kid from Memmingen had scored the World Cup winning goal, becoming the youngest and first substitute player to do so.
That New Year’s Eve, I saw on his Instagram that Goetze was vacationing in Dubai and I joked to Guenther I wanted to find him and ask for a picture. “A picture of you and Goetze?” Guenther asked. “No,” I said, “A picture of me and Goetze’s left foot.”
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Read more:
Germany edge Argentina to win World Cup 2014
Ellen Fortini is listings editor at The National
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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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
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- 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
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
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Bangladesh v Afghanistan
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
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Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
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- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
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More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Price: From Dh439,000
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Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
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Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
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Directed by: Ricky Staub
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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
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- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
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- Highlands, Scotland
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- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
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