Emirati fans travelling to Saudi Arabia for the 22nd Gulf Cup should be the most well-dressed and well-tended at the event, after the UAE Football Association set up a committee to address their every need, including travel, transportation and ticketing.
Five jets have been chartered by the telecom provider Etisalat, an FA sponsor, to carry hundreds of fans to and from Saudi Arabia.
Read more: Everything you need to know about the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations
Ten thousand flags, scarves and hats will be provided to fans who make the journey to Riyadh on Friday for the UAE’s opening match against Oman at the 22,500-capacity Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium.
The FA over the weekend met with 40 leading members of fan clubs across the emirates, to put the final touches on the travel plans.
The coordinator for UAE supporters at the FA, Sami Al Hamour, said preparations to receive fans in Saudi Arabia have been completed, and predicted that the process will be carried out more efficiently than at last year’s Gulf Cup in Bahrain, when a similar fan plan was used.
“Teams of assistants will be available around the clock at Dubai International Airport and King Fahd Airport to meet the supporters and help with their procedures,” Al Hamour said.
Prior to the 6.45pm kick off, an FA team will distribute the fan paraphernalia to those in attendance, whether arriving by plane or car. According to Al Hamour, there will be a doctor on the sponsored flights after an agreement was struck between the FA and the Ministry of Health. Medical aid will also be available to fans during the matches.
So far, in addition to those travelling on the sponsored flights, another 400 fans have registered at the FA offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to travel for the first match.
akhaled@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
