UAE Kids Get Chance to Watch World Cup

DUBAI — Four lucky kids in the UAE will get an opportunity to fly to South Africa and watch their favourite players in action at the Fifa World Cup in July.

Published: Sat 6 Feb 2010, 12:22 AM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 4:03 AM

They will also get a chance to escort the footballers to the field during the four-day all-expenses-paid trip, each with a guardian, to South Africa from July 1 to July 4. While unveiling the player escort program here on Thursday, McDonald’s, official sponsor of the World Cup, announced that children in the age group of 6-10 can participate in the contest. “In the 2006 World Cup, we received around 4000 applications and two kids won the player escort package, and they spent an unforgettable trip in Germany. This year, we have decided to give the opportunity to more kids,” Rafic Fakih, managing director of McDonald’s UAE, said.

The organisers expect to receive around 8000 applications this time. A total of 20 children, including four from UAE, from the GCC will be selected to watch the World Cup.

The winners will get a chance to escort the players to the field prior to the last quarter-final game on July 3, Faikh said. Saeed Abdulghaffar Hussein, general secretary of UAE National Olympic Committee and vice-president of the UAE Football Association, also attended the press conference at McDonald’s Jumeirah Beach Road branch.

The registration is open at all McDonald’s restaurants in the UAE from February 7 to March 20.

The kids’ guardians should fill the application form and drop in the designated boxes in the restaurants. A raffle draw on March 31 will decide the winners, the organsiers said.

McDonald’s has been an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup since 1994 and recently extended its association until 2014.

Their player escort program began in 2002, and through it 1,408 children will experience the 2010 World Cup first-hand.