“I Like Korea So Much That I Volunteered”

“I want to improve the Korean players’ impression of the United Arab Emirates.”

Nayeff Almansuri (29) is in charge of FIFA’s (International Football Federation) liaison with the Korean team for the 2003 World Championship U-20. Almansuri, who was majoring in journalism and mass communication in El Paso, Texas in the U.S., flew over to UAE after hearing that the Korean team would take part in the competition held in his home country.

He volunteered to be a guide for the Korean team just because “he liked Korea.” His uncle, Ivrahim Almansuri, is the UAE’s minister in Korea, which is the reason why he has grown to like Korea.

People who are kind and warm-hearted, the country full of beautiful rivers and mountains, delicious food.... These are the glorifications of Korea that he heard from his uncle. He has never been in Korea, but he has eaten Korean food such as kimchi and kimchi-stew and knows that Korean traditional clothing is beautiful.

Almansuri is called “knife” among the Korean team. Besides, the pronunciation of his name, Nayeff, sounds like “knife,” and the way he handles his tasks is just like a knife. He deals with all the needs including providing training field and vehicles and transporting the team. When necessary, he plays the role as the team driver.

Almansuri is from a family of diplomats, his father is a consul in Iran and another uncle is a consul in Moscow. Nevertheless, he takes charge of even sundry errands, which surprises the Korean team.

“The United Arab Emirates is a region free from terror,” said Almansuri addressing the terrors taking place here and in the Middle East after the Iraq war, adding, “I hope that Korean players can play without anxiety and win the championship.”

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com