Assalaamualaikum and Bienvenido a Espana
With a rich Muslim heritage, two of the world’s sexiest football teams and a host of luxury beachside hotspots, Spain is potentially the biggest benefactor of the recent UAE Schengen visa waiver agreement.
“Arabs love football, and they especially love Real Madrid and Barcelona, more than their own football teams in their own countries,” says Marwan Ahmed Saeed, cofounder of KingFut.com, one of the Arab world’s largest English-language sports portals. “It has always been very sad that to go and watch one of these games means a lengthy visa process for most Arabs, but not anymore for UAE citizens. They are extremely lucky.”
The agreement, completed with a ceremonial signing May 6 by UAE ambassador to the EU Sulaiman Hamid Al Mazroui, means UAE citizens can now simply pop over to catch a glimpse of their Latin idols, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, with nothing more in hand than a valid UAE passport.
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Tharik Hussain