In Dubai where 2.8 million people from over 190 nations live, the 20th FIFA World Cup triggered a colorful festival of flags and television match parties across the city.
Captain Ahmed F. from the Dubai police is relieved. "So far, the FIFA World Cup evenings in public hospitality places in Dubai has been very peaceful. People enjoy and are secure, that is our goal," he said.
With nearly all nations being a resident or tourist in Dubai, the most multi-national Arab city is painted a sea of colorful national flags, wigs, tricots and decorated cars these days.
When from 8 pm Dubai time the first matches start, cafes and restaurants with TV sets are usually already full with fans, starring motionless on the matches in Brazil.
One of the most popular spot for public viewing became the Marina Walk, a mix-use boulevard in the Dubai Marina district. At the open-air cinema The Beach, visitors can indulge a football evening on XXL-large sofas, food and beverages for 150 Dirham (40.90 dollars) per person. The spectacle is framed by daily samba dancer and football artists who perform on the walk for the fun of small and tall guests.
For the smaller budget, dozens of cafes and bistros near the beach walk invite soccer fans and aficionados. World Cup matches are aired late in Dubai due to the time difference of seven hours between Brazil and the United Arab Emirates. According to a survey by consultancy GulfTalent, half of all employees in the Gulf states stay awake to watch late-night matches. One third of employees admitted they would go to work tired, 10 percent said they would go later to work on purpose. Even three percent said they would call in sick.
Asked how they like the tournament so far, local Emiratis are upbeat about the mood. "During FIFA World Cup you truly see that Dubai, our city, became a global village," said Ibrahim Ahli, an Emirati civil engineer in his early thirties who went out on Friday evening to watch Italy against Costa Rica.
Asked which team he supported he said, usually it was Spain because he travelled there many times, "but with Algeria being the only Arab country playing in Brazil my heart is also beating for "les verts (French for the greens, nickname for the Algerian team"". Dubai's state-owned carrier Emirates Airline is an official sponsor of the FIFA world cup.
The disappointment was huge when Belgium defeated Algeria 2-1 in a neck-on-neck fight last Tuesday. Next time, inshallah, said Tarek, an Algerian salesman who works in the popular shopping center Dubai Mall, the biggest shopping mall in the world. Algeria still has to play against South Korea and Russia next week.
Only the traffic problems were a bit annoying. "Two hours ahead of each game, the streets to shopping malls and the beaches were most people aim to watch are usually stuck with traffic jams and nothing goes," added Ahli.
Rather disappointed were the crowds of English fans during the last Islamic weekend, although their team did not play. But with Costa Rica surprisingly beating Italy in a thin 1-0 victory, England can' t catch up in the pre-qualifiers any more after "the lions" lost their first two matches against Uruguay and the squadra azurra from Italy.
With approximately 100,000 expats the Brits are the biggest community from a Western country, far more than Germans (20,000) and French (10,000).
"This is really frustrating," said Pauline a British web designer for sports companies who lives in Dubai. He said he hoped for a long bustling summer with his team reaching at least the semi-finals. From now she said she would feel like a spectator and no longer involved in the whole football fiesta.
German residents and tourists in Dubai, on the other hand say their team' s strength reflected the new "feel good"-factor back home. "The 4-0 against Portugal and the much celebrated Christiano Ronaldo is also because Germany emerged as the new economic driving force in Europe," said Maximilian, an airport testing engineer who lives in the Jumeirah lake district in New Dubai. But it would be difficult later if the elf would encounter host country Brazil or Argentine.
Argentine's superstar striker Lionel Messi is often seen on T-shirts in Dubai, albeit few Argentines live in the Gulf Arab city. The reason behind his popularity is also based in the fact that he promotes Qatar's first telecom provider Ooredoo (Arabic for: I want!). Turks like Messi because he is a prominent ambassador for Turkish Airways and his global ad with American basketball star Kobe Bryant became so legendary. The biggest expat group in Dubai, Indians and Pakistanis who make over a million people, show little interest in soccer. For them, cricket remains the favorite sport.
