‘Lifelong’ Sadd fan rejoices as Xavi arrives

Al Sadd fan Ahmed Hashim (left) with former Al Sadd and current Al Ahli right back Mesaad al-Hamad.

For Ahmed Hashim, the game of football is the most universal of languages. Having been born in Qatar and having spent his life playing the game here, the 21-year-old is a ‘lifelong’ Al Sadd fan and was at the airport for the arrival of former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez.“I play the game and love it, I played at college level and we play with friends almost every day in Qatar,” Hashim said. “I have made a lot of friends through football; it is a connector with so many people from many different nationalities who live in Qatar. I even learnt Arabic through football, picking it up as I played with people from Qatar and the region.” Having gone back to his native India to complete his university degree in English at EFL University in Hyderabad, he has returned to Doha – taking on a social media role at the club he loves. And while he is readying to cover Xavi’s inaugural press conference on Twitter this week, he remembers that a fellow Spaniard helped ignite his passion for the game a decade ago. “Since I was born and grew up in Qatar, and football is the most popular sport here, it was difficult not to follow it. I read about football in the newspapers, magazines and saw it on TV all the time. Then, in 2003, when Batistuta, Guardiola and Caniggia came to play in Qatar, I started to become really interested in the game,” he explained.From there, Hashim’s passion continuously developed, and he saw his first live game during the Doha 2006 Asian Games: “I went to Al Sadd Stadium to watch Qatar play against Uzbekistan. It was disappointing that they lost their opening game, but then they went on to win the gold medal and I was in the same stadium for the final. The euphoria inside and outside the stadium when Qatar won was something incredible for me to witness.” Hashim has followed Barcelona’s treble-winning captain closely this season, and also remembers Al Sadd’s historic exploits eight years ago: “A year after the Asian Games I watched my team play for the first time. They won four titles that season and it was something historic. I’ve done everything as a fan; from creating YouTube videos to even editing Wikipedia articles on the team. Earlier it was not easy to find information in English about Qatari football. Now it is changing – with Qatar 2022 people are learning more about Qatari football.” With Xavi having arrived in Doha on Monday night after helping Barca win their fifth UEFA Champions League title, the young Al Sadd fan has already witnessed a real buzz around the new signing and expects the club’s fan base to grow further as a result: “For me, Xavi’s arrival is the most exciting moment in the history of the club. I thought Romario and Raul were big, but this is something different.” “All football fans across the world like Xavi. He gave a new meaning to football through his tiki-taka style. He’s a real legend and we’re excited to have him. On Twitter I have had many people contacting me from around the world, asking me where they can watch Xavi’s matches with Al Sadd, and I have felt a real buzz around him joining the club.” With the Qatar Stars League attracting such world class players, Hashim is already looking forward to the coming season and watching the Spanish legend playing in the stadium. And in 2022, he has another goal: “My heart has always been here in Qatar, this has always been my home. My dream is to be here in 2022, and help in any way possible. It would be amazing, if I have kids, to take them to a game. It is a really exciting prospect to have the World Cup in the Middle East for the first time. Qatar can prove its critics wrong, and I want to be part of that.” (SC.qa)