When Chelsea take on Liverpool in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium this evening, their official fan club in Bahrain will gather in full force to cheer their side on.
“We will be watching the game at a sports lounge to support our team,” ardent Chelsea fan, Fawaz Al Shaikh, who is a contender for the fan club’s presidency in its upcoming annual elections, told the GDN. “There is no way that any of us could miss this important game!”
Chelsea, who are out of contention in the English Premier League (EPL) where they occupy third place on the table behind leaders Manchester City and second-placed Liverpool, will look to avenge their loss on penalties to the Reds in the Carabao Cup last February. If they win tonight’s final, they could also deny Liverpool the chance of a historic quadruple of titles.
Liverpool are three points behind City in the EPL with both sides left with two games each to play. A win tonight and victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on May 28, coupled with a miracle championship triumph – if they can pull it off – in the EPL, to go along with their triumph in the Carabao Cup, would hand the Reds an unprecedented four major titles in a single season – an achievement no club side has managed in the past.
But Al Shaikh, who has travelled to different Chelsea games across continents to support his team, said he and his mates in the fan club, would be rooting for their side to stop the Liverpool juggernaut in its tracks.
“We believe Chelsea will win,” Al Shaikh declared. “They are due for a big victory.”
The Chelsea FC Official Supporters Club, Bahrain, Al Shaikh said, was officially registered with Chelsea in London. Al Shaikh and his fellow club members have travelled together to several Chelsea games, most memorably in 2019 to watch The Blues take on Arsenal in the Europa League final in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.
“There were 30 of us,” Al Shaikh remembered. “And we had a great time, because our team won!”
Not even a surgery, which left Al Shaikh hobbling on crutches, could make him skip the trip.
“My team is playing in a major final,” he laughed. “There’s no way I’m going to miss that.”
For tonight, the fan club, which has about 130 members, according to Al Shaikh, has booked several tables in a popular sports lounge in Adliya.
“I’m not sure if all 130 members will show up,” he said. “But I would think that, at least, 40 to 50 will definitely be there. I can assure you we’ll be making so much noise, we’ll be heard all the way over at Wembley!”
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