Six years ago, Syrian striker Firas Al Khatib was helping to rally opposition against the government of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, later promising he would “never play for the Syrian national [football] team as long as there are bombs falling anywhere in Syria”.
Now, there are still bombs falling on Syria but on Tuesday Al Khatib was back playing with the team when it tied in a match with Iran, securing its place in the Asian play-offs next month towards possible qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
The Syrian national football team has never advanced to the tournament, and was facing elimination had it lost the match.
Al Khatib was not the only top player to return to the Syrian team for its World Cup bid this year. It was striker Omar Al Soma, absent from the team since 2012 because of his opposition to the Syrian government, who scored the tying goal on Tuesday in stoppage time, keeping Syria’s World Cup hopes alive.
Al Khatib softened his stance towards playing for the national team in January, telling reporters that if he were asked to play then he would "accept naturally because it would be an honour for a sportsman to represent his country and his team”. He returned to the team in February with Al Soma joining him three months later.
With Syria still very much in the throes of a six-year-old civil war that has killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more, many fans urged a suspension of politics in order to enjoy the match on Tuesday. But others were quick to politicise the event.
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A live feed on Facebook early on Wednesday morning showed fans waiting at Damascus airport for the team’s return.
Their chants included praise for Mukhabbarat Al Joweiya — perhaps the most feared branch of the government’s intelligence apparatus.
“We are all Mukhabbarat Joweiya, for the eyes of Abu Hafez,” they chanted, using a nickname for Mr Al Assad.
“This is not Syria’s team, this is Al Assad’s team,” read one Facebook post, espousing a popular criticism of the team. Others on social media called out players for their political affiliations, with some posting pictures of the goalkeeper in a Syrian army uniform.
Fans living in both government and rebel-held areas watched the match, including in the northwestern province of Idlib which is mostly controlled by the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham militant alliance. The group is dominated by Jabhat Fatah Al Sham, Al Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria.
“We were waiting for the game eagerly,” said Ammar, a resident of the rebel-controlled Damascus suburb of Douma who asked that his last name not appear in print.
“Even though we are opposed to the regime that is killing us. But we look at this team as a team playing in the name of Syria.”
But despite being a self-professed lifelong fan of Syria's national football team, Ammar criticised the regime for trying to take advantage of its popularity.
“The regime has never cared about Syria before or after the war,” Ammar said. “Now it wants to climb on the success of the Syrian players.”
State television showed the game live, and many viewed it on big screens, including in the capital’s Ummayid Square and at Al Jalaa, the country’s main football stadium.
The Associated Press reported that many shops had closed and streets were largely empty even hours before the game began. But Ammar said the government did not stop shelling his neighbourhood in the hours leading up to the match.
“Even before the game, it fired shells at civilians, killing six civilians, including children and paramedics,” he said.
Some football fans also celebrated what they called a second victory on Tuesday: the breaking of ISIL's months-long siege on the eastern city of Deir Ezzour by the Syrian army and its allies.
"There are two victories today: the army entered Deir Ezzour and we equalised with Iran, which I consider a victory," Fayeq Shmais, a 46-year-old government employee told AP.
“Syria is witnessing a revival as large rallies roam the streets of Damascus. This is something we have not seen since the start of the crisis."
But Ammar said he rejected that the football team's success was "a continuation of its alleged military victory”.
“The Syrian team is a team for all Syrians,” he added.
Syria’s play-off match next month will be against Australia. The winner will join South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Japan, the Asian teams which have already qualified for the Russia-hosted tournament.
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
