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Lars Hamer

For football fans who travelled from the Middle East to watch this week’s Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong, it was about much more than star individuals such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Whereas most of the Chinese spectators the Post spoke to were attending purely to see Al-Nassr captain Ronaldo, and to a lesser extent Al-Ittihad skipper Benzema, the Saudi fans saw it as an opportunity to support their teams at a competitive tournament.
All four clubs attracted fan groups to the city from Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar, and before the matches, they could be seen outside Hong Kong Stadium, handing out free club scarves and waving flags. Inside the ground, they brought the noise, leading chants and banging drums.
Football is by far the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia, with a long history in the men’s game and a fan base for club and international teams that could rival those of some European countries.
Ronaldo’s Riyadh-based club, for instance, have the Al-Nassr Fans Council.

“We travel everywhere with the club,” said Mohammed Nasr, who led the group to support their side in the midweek semi-final defeat of Jeddah’s Al-Ittihad, and Saturday’s final. “This time there are around 30 of us, but we have around 4,000 members.
“We have been around forever – my father was with them, my grandfather was with them, and now I am here.
“But you know, the people in Saudi Arabia, they are crazy about football, before Cristiano, before Benzema. The world didn’t know that we love football, but we loved it before.”
The group stayed in the same hotel as the club, the Regent Hong Kong hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, but interaction was limited with the team busy preparing for the tournament.
The fans council explored the city and planned to stay longer after the final, with Disneyland, the Avenue of Stars and Victoria Harbour on their to-do list. They had already ticked off Ronaldo’s CR7 Life Museum.
Businessman Jawad Said, 35, supports Saturday’s other finalists Al-Ahli, also based in Jeddah. He said he had bought his ticket for Wednesday’s semi-final victory over Khobar’s Al-Qadsiah on Klook, and spent a total of US$2,100 on his match ticket, flight and hotel.
Members of the Al-Ahli fan group told the Post they had travelled in a party of 71 but back home had thousands of members.
“We are feeling good, we support our team every time,” fan Ahmed Ali said. “We are outnumbered by the Ronaldo fans, but we will make the most noise.”
Al-Qadsiah fan Waleed Alsheikh, 38, a product engineer in the oil and gas sector, said he spent US$10,000 (HK$78,000), flying first-class.
“Everything here is well organised and I’m really happy to be here,” said Alsheikh, who was also staying until after the final.
“I arrived in Hong Kong [on Tuesday]. I’ve been to some nice restaurants, and I was hanging out with my friend from Hong Kong.
“I’m going to explore. I heard there are a lot of museums.”
Food proved an issue for some Saudi fans who travelled to Hong Kong.
“I want to try the [local] food, but honestly, it’s a challenge to find halal food,” Alsheikh said. “I used social media to find a couple of Turkish restaurants, and I found some Islamic centres that have a canteen. I can be a vegetarian for a few days if needed; it’s not a problem.”
“In Hong Kong, it’s really difficult [to find halal food], not like Guangzhou,” said Said, who frequently visits the mainland city. “In Guangzhou, there are many options, many restaurants. Today, in Hong Kong, I only ate a burger from Five Guys.”
Inside the stadium, organisers banned pork from sale, and could point to stalls run by Ebeneezer’s, the halal-certified Hong Kong chain known for its Middle Eastern cuisine.


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Fans prepare to watch Ronaldo and co at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Elson Li

The yellow shirts of Al-Nassr dominate at Hong Kong Stadium on Tuesday. Photo: Elson Li

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Cristiano Ronaldo (left) arrives at the Regent Hong Kong hotel on Thursday. Photo: Dickson Lee

June Lee (left) and Chris Chow welcome Cristiano Ronaldo in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Dickson Lee

Fans wait outside the Regent Hong Kong on Thursday. Photo: Dickson Lee

Cristiano Ronaldo and his club Al-Nassr are to play in Hong Kong next week. Photo: AFP

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Fans make their way into Hong Kong Stadium for the first semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup. Photo: Elson Li

Fans try to get a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Al-Nassr’s Saudi Super Cup clash with Al-Ittihad at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Lars Hamer

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Al-Ahli players face a small group of their fans ahead of their Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Qadsiah at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Elson Li

A smattering of fans watch the Al-Qadsiah v Al-Ahli match at Hong Kong Stadium. Photo: Elson Li

Sport

Football

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Hong Kong

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Fan groups enjoy exploring city – even if some visitors struggle to find food options, with one saying ‘I only ate a burger from Five Guys’


Fan groups enjoy exploring city – even if some visitors struggle to find food options, with one saying ‘I only ate a burger from Five Guys’.


Saudi Super Cup

Saudi Arabia

Al-Ahli

Karim Benzema

From Riyadh to Hong Kong: Saudi Super Cup fans make presence felt

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Fan groups enjoy exploring city – even if some visitors struggle to find food options, with one saying ‘I only ate a burger from Five Guys’

Fan groups enjoy exploring city – even if some visitors struggle to find food options, with one saying ‘I only ate a burger from Five Guys’