(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Badr al-Baram's strength of character in graduating from Josoor Institute last year despite the conflict in his country has been an inspiration for many, but the football management professional from Yemen still has a big dream to fulfil playing a role in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
The 35-year-old communications manager at the Yemen Football Association was part of the inaugural batch of graduates from Josoor Institute, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)-supported centre for excellence in sports and events industries set up to create and foster a professional work force in the region.
'The newly-acquired professional skills will enhance my ability to manage and handle major events, said al-Baram. 'But the biggest reward was the appreciation from the Honourable Secretary General of the SC. I feel a huge sense of pride in this and believe it will give me a lot of confidence going forward.
In December 2016, six years before the Middle East hosts its first ever FIFA World Cup, SC secretary general Hassan al-Thawadi identified al-Baram and his fellow Josoor graduate from Palestine as Arab role models.
'I've been very inspired by two individuals who have shown this initiative, two gentleman, one from Palestine and one from Yemen, who were part of the first class that graduated this year, said al-Thawadi. 'They went through significant hardships to grasp that opportunity and they are role models and inspiring individuals who are just one example of what the Middle East and Arab world has to offer.
Al-Baram, who now has a diploma in major events management, believes the accolades will give him the confidence to make a difference in the organisation of mega sporting events in the Middle East region.
The host nation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup figures prominently in al-Baram's future plans. 'Qatar is my second country and nothing will make me more proud than working to make the 2022 FIFA World Cup a success, he said. 'The World Cup in Qatar will give me a once-in-a-lifetime professional opportunity. I will do a Masters in major events management so that I can upskill further before the tournament.
As he looks ahead to 2022, al-Baram is grateful for the start the diploma stint at the Josoor Institute has given him. 'Josoor Institute helped me enhance my skills and widen my knowledge in events management, he said. 'In the 2010 Gulf Cup in Yemen, I was a director of the Yemen FA Secretary General's office and a member of the tournament hospitality team. My stint at Josoor has further widened my horizons from then.
Speaking from experience, al-Baram asserts that Josoor will realise its legacy mission of creating a highly skilled professional workforce in the Middle East coinciding with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
'Josoor Institute intensely provides world-class education to aspiring sports industry professionals and thanks to its pioneering efforts the Mena region will be rich in highly skilled professional workforce before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he said.
It is not just emotionally that the nation of his Alma Mater is al-Baram's 'second country. Al-Baram points out that Yemen will play its ‘home' matches in Qatar as the country aims to qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
'Yemen have a great chance to qualify to the finals of Asian Cup 2019 for the first time in its history, and Qatar will play a huge role in that, he said. 'Our rivals in Group F Tajikistan, the Philippines and Nepal are not technically superior to us.
'In times of crisis, the national football team needs support from the region, which Qatar has given us. I hope we start off our campaign on 28 March with a win against Tajikistan in Doha, he concluded. (SC.qa)
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