By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: As the Kuwait national football team prepares for its match on Saturday at the Khaleeji Zain 25 (Arabian Gulf Cup) taking place in Basra from Jan 6 to 19, many citizens and residents are preparing to travel to Iraq by land and air to cheer with enthusiasm for the Kuwaiti team.

Yousef Al-Shammari, a Kuwaiti fan who arrived in Iraq, affirmed he will attend the match of Kuwait against Qatar on Saturday with his friends to support his country, adding Iraq is a welcoming country that is rich with culture and nature to enjoy, aside from sports. "The traditional food in Iraq is indescribable. The country has some of the most delicious food in the Middle East and the dishes are as colorful as its people," he said, noted the Iraqi people are friendly.

Ahmed Al-Wazzan, one of the organizers of the campaign of Kuwait Football Association and Zain, said organized trips to Basra to attend the Gulf Cup matches is to encourage the national team 'Al-Azraq'. "The campaign is dedicating 10 buses for three trips to transport Kuwait fans to the Gulf Cup matches, and there is a strong turnout to attend the game. The buses for Saturday's game are full. We will go to the first match between Kuwait and Qatar and upcoming matches too, and we hope the experience will be extraordinary," he said.

Wazzan pointed out other organizers have reached Iraq and confirmed the situation is safe and ready to receive Kuwaiti fans. "We are looking forward to try Iraqi food, which is famous for its kebabs and grilled dishes. Also, we are eager to meet kind Iraqi people who received Kuwaitis with an unusual welcome. We have received different and friendly treatment from the rest of the Gulf countries, as we heard from people who arrived in Basra," Wazzan explained.

As Kuwaiti citizen Muna Ali, who reached Basra, Iraq is a country to be discovered. "Many friendly people reached out to me apologizing for the invasion of Kuwait by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, affirming the love Iraqis have for Kuwaitis," she said. Ali was overwhelmed by the love she received and is excited to be a part of hundreds of fans from GCC countries who have gathered under one roof to celebrate their unity, calling on everyone to come, but adhere to instructions.

Earlier, Assistant Undersecretary for Ports and Borders Security Sector, Maj Gen Mansour Al-Awadi said visitors must obtain a customs entry permit from a specialized company, where Gulf cars get a temporary customs entry permit for a period of 30 days. He asked arrivals to bring the required documents and papers when leaving the country (passport for Kuwaitis valid for not less than six months, passport for residents and civil ID card, and passports for Gulf nationals coming to Kuwait.)