They call me zwaiz

A life changer

On Friday, September 4, 1998, something strange happened while playing football. I was attempting to steal the ball when my left foot became stable and my body turned to the other side!! I heard at least three blasts in my left knee, turned to my right, and saw my left foot before collapsing.

I tried to finish the game but couldn’t; I hoped the problem was something minor but it wasn’t. Week after week doctor followed by another, x-rays, and MRI, and finally the dreadful news was official: I had torn my Anterior Cruciate Ligament. I was 16 years old, and surgery was not possible due to the technique being available at the time, which meant I had to wait at least three years.

With limited knowledge and sources, I began talking to football players who had torn their ACL’s and searching for the best surgeon. I heard that Professor Ejnar Eriksson was the leading expert in the field, so I wasted no time and faxed him my case. And because he wasn’t available all the time and had a very busy schedule, his wife read the fax and became moved by my story, and she was the one who persuaded him to assist me.

On Tuesday, September 4, 2001, I had my first ever knee surgery, which was followed by two right knee injuries due to my bad luck in sports and a lack of understanding that following the surgery, a living style should have been altered to cope with the body condition. On October 4, 2004 I had my second surgery and first right knee in Stockholm under the supervision of professor Ejnar Eriksson, and on June 6th 2017, I had my third and second right knee surgery with Dr Wael Alrayes in Kuwait.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of As a result, I’ve been through a lot of things. I struggled academically before graduating with a respected degree from a respected university. I had an incredible career in sports management, including winning two championships with a women’s football club. Finally, I established the zwaiz Foundation to assist others in accomplishing what I could not in my athletic career.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Hussain, Ahmed, Talal and I at Al Thumama Stadium Iran vs USA Nov 29, 2022

I was introduced to football when I was a child and grew to love it from the time I could walk, run, and kick. My first memory of international football was of Holland winning the Euros in 1988, with Ruud Gullit having enormous hair.

So being six years old and trying not to miss any football games was stressful, especially with broadcasting back then till a proper tournament was played on TV!! It’s World Cup Italy 1990, and I’ve been watching the tournament ever since. England was my team, and even after all the ups and downs, I still believe it’s coming home every tournament, and I’m still waiting for it to come home.

I first considered attending a World Cup match in 2002, but it was extremely difficult to make all of the necessary arrangements and bookings. 2006 wasn’t a suitable option because I was home alone all summer studying and working, so I applied for follow England in 2010 and luckily got them, but couldn’t travel due to the high costs. 2014 was too far away, and 2018 was too touristic, with many people I know going to the World Cup merely to say they went, and it’s a social media thing.

Qatar 2022 was so different, and I’m biassed because I adore Qatar, but I felt like this was the World Cup for me, and yes, I bagged four tickets to see England play, and what a dream come true!! Finally, I’ll be able to see my favourite team compete in the World Cup.

I was in Doha for 16 days, attending 15 games ranging from group stage to second round. From what I saw, I doubt it was the best tournament ever for any football fan to attend since everything was immaculate from the moment you touched down in Doha until you left. It is really simple to travel from one stadium to another. There was accommodations available. For me, game tickets were always sold at face value. Let’s see if I can fulfil another goal and go to the Olympics.

The Real Downfall of Safa Women’s Team

with WAFF Women’s Clubs Championship 2022

What really happened? It’s very easy for anyone to go out and point fingers, especially because everyone knows I never defend myself or clarify what’s been said about me or what I’ve been accused of. But, as I told many, I will never say anything that could be misconstrued and do hurt someone.

Since the team’s inception, I’ve made it a point to ensure that we either take this to a professional level or don’t bother joining the league just to play football. A team can be assembled by anyone, but not everyone can compete and raise the bar.

What actually occurred? When this team was disbanded, 15 people who were on the payroll were let go off. The Lebanese women’s league has lost a strong challenger. Around 35 players were denied the opportunity to compete at a high level. Women’s football fans have lost a source of enjoyment because we are no longer competing. Someone’s greed and imposition led to the demise of a well-managed organisation.

Let’s talk about microeconomics for a minute. All of the following businesses lost a significant consumer. Physiotherapy clinics, pharmacies, water and ice suppliers, transportation (buses and taxi drivers), football fields, sport equipment suppliers, and so on.

Looking back at everything that took place, I’ll restate what I used to tell the staff and players: “everything happens for a reason.” I have no resentment towards anyone and am living my life extremely happy, proud of what I did and glad of the difference I’ve made in the lives of many people I’ve met.

Meeting Sir Alex

The Manchester United stadium (Old Trafford) was evacuated on May 15, 2016 due to a fake bomb error. I won’t go into detail because it was such a dreadful experience, especially after hearing about it on Twitter and seeing the stadium empty in front of you.

The story began the day before when I met up with a friend at The Lowry Hotel. It’s unusual for me to approach someone and introduce myself, but that day I was certain Mohammed didn’t need any introduction and would recognise me as soon as he saw me, and that’s exactly what happened.

Long story short, as we hadn’t seen each other in at least 15 years, I offered him my seats at Old Trafford and told him, “You can see Sir Alex from these seats!!” He sits fewer than ten rows in front of you.” He asked if I may take a photo with him, to which I answered, “Sure!” I don’t have any with him because I dislike selfies and would only have a formal photo if that happened, and we laughed about it.

That day, I was invited by a friend to watch the game from his suite, and while eating lunch, the U18 winners were being honoured, and guess who was honouring them? Yes, Sir Alex was passing by the lounge, and we got him at the entry for this gorgeous and memorable photo.

By the way, he was holding my business card, and Mohammed has yet to forgive me for all that happened.

8 Years in Lebanon

with the Lebanese Women’s Football League 2021 and Lebanese Women’s Super Cup 2022

When I first visited Beirut in 2014, I never expected to fall in love with this country, especially given my previous negative experiences in other Arab countries. Lebanon was magical in all respects: culture, people, food, weather… you name it. Since then, I’ve kept it a habit of going back annually, and year after year, I couldn’t get enough of Lebanon, to the point that I wanted to live there.

In December 2018, I was at a spontaneous dinner when an idea struck me about starting a women’s football team, and since I was already funding individual athletes in Lebanon, I jumped at the chance. It was ideal for me to take this sponsorship to the next level.

On New Year’s Eve, I met with the coach and some of the players we wanted to work with, and in January 2019, I drove to Bahrain to watch the national team, which included the majority of the players we wanted to recruit, play a significant game against Jordan.
I can’t deny that I was suspicious for some people “who is that Kuwaiti who is so into the game,” but having virtually daily contact in an advisory position alleviated a lot of issues.

August 2019 marked my first time on the staff when we decided to hold a camp in Lebanon prior to the start of the season. Unfortunately, our first season did not go well when the revolution began on the 17th of October, followed by covid-19, Beirut blasting, and the economic situation throughout Lebanon, leaving me as the only sponsor for this team along with board membership.

Four years after our first meeting, we were crowned champions of Lebanon, champions of West Asia, winners of the Super Cup, and runners-up in the league twice. But the true championship I won was the friendships and families I formed over the years, which made my journey enjoyable and full of memories and stories to tell.