Reuters
Despite losing their opening match, Algeria fans were still beaming with pride at their team’s performance and status as the only Arab nation present at the World Cup.
Algeria went down 2-1 to highly rated Belgium on Tuesday, yet they at least scored a goal at the finals for the first time since 1986 and were on course for a famous upset until the Europeans struck twice in the last 20 minutes.
Aware the Arab region’s hopes rest on his team, despite his own Franco-Bosnian roots, coach Vahid Halilhodzic praised his players as “heroic” and took heart ahead of the remaining Group H games against South Korea and Russia.
Click here to visit The National’s dedicated World Cup 2014 landing page
“We came so close to writing a glorious passage in football history,” said Algerian lawyer Brahim Kateb, 37, draped in the green-and-white national flag with a red star and crescent.
“I am so sad we lost, yet so proud of what we showed to the world. It is a time of many mixed emotions,” the fan added.
Algeria were also the sole representative for the Middle East and North Africa at the 2010 World Cup, though pride was dented by failing to score and finishing bottom of their group.
There has been an injection of fresh talent since then, with the 2014 “Desert Foxes” side constructed around French-born players drawn from the massive migrant population in Europe.
Against Belgium, the Algerians showed tactical guile and steel at the back along with a willingness to drive forward, especially in the first half before they began to tire.
They also wore their Muslim faith proudly, kneeling in prayer together near the corner flag in front of their fans to celebrate Sofiane Feghouli’s successful penalty to open the scoring.
Few in global football circles noticed when Algeria recently crept above Ivory Coast to become Africa’s highest team in Fifa’s rankings despite the absence of big-name stars.
“We are not a bad team at all these days,” said Algerian scientist Amr Kadi, 33, hoarse from shouting his team on.
“We deserve to be here and to represent our region. You should see all the messages and texts and emails from people supporting Algeria all around the Arab region.”
Algeria’s World Cup appearance has helped divert attention away from worries at home over the fragile health of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and political turmoil in neighboring nations.
Many fans in nearby Egypt and Tunisia believe acute unrest in their nations undermined their own qualifying campaigns.
“We are here to have fun, to make Arab peoples proud and happy,” said 52-year-old businessman and Algeria fan Laouika Bohran.
“Even if we lose, at least we made it here, right?”
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
More from Aya Iskandarani
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
The bio:
Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.
Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.
Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.
Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.
