Champions League: Blue Wednesday?

The mood inside Fibber Magee’s pub sank in an instant as Chelsea fans stared at the TV screen in disbelief following Ryan Giggs’ goal which sealed the Premiership trophy for Manchester United.

These were not just any Chelsea fans but proud members of the oldest football fan club in Dubai, the Dubai Chelsea Supporters Club (DCSC).

Established in 1999, around 90 passionate Blues supporters have made "Fibber’s" their den to watch every Chelsea match on television.

While the last day of the Premiership did not go to plan, they believe it will be different on Wednesday when they face Manchester United again, this time to be crowned Kings of Europe. "Full credit to Manchester United, they won the league fair and square. But we’ve got a team with a lot to prove and I’m confident that we are going to do quite well," said Paul Wiste of the DCSC committee.

Moscow bound

And a small group from DCSC plan to make their presence felt at the final in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, home of the club’s owner Roman Abramovich.

"There will be at least five to 10 tickets flying around. It’s just a question of negotiating with our wives really," said Wiste.

Mark Siddorn, one of the club’s founding members has ruled out any negotiations in his household. "My wife’s having a baby on the 19th. I would have loved to go but I can’t. I will be in Fibber’s to watch it," he said.

But he is optimistic the venue can inspire his beloved Blues to their first Champions League crown. "To be in Abramovich’s home town, I think they will pull off something very special and win the Champions League in Moscow," he said.

UNITED delight: Fans quick to taunt opponents

Manchester United fans in Dubai are expecting another stiff challenge from Chelsea when the two teams clash in the 2007-08 Champions League final in Moscow next week.

United fans, who usually flock to Harvesters at Crowne Plaza Hotel on Shaikh Zayed Road to catch the Red Devils in action, wasted little time in dashing a couple of hundred metres up the road to rub salt into the wounds of their dejected Chelsea counterparts on Sunday as they defiantly marched into Fibber Magee’s and roared in delight.

But the banter aside, they remain wary of the team that stands in the way of United’s third European Cup.

"It’s going to be a tough game. It’s never easy with them but we hope we will be on top," said Ziad Al Jamaan, a loyal Red Devil since the early 90s.

His Saudi compatriot Abdullah Madani spoke of the Premier League title race rivalry which went to the last day and said: "We always knew it would be Chelsea who would be our main rivals. Even when Arsenal were ahead we felt it would be between the two of us."

On the Champions League final, Al Jamaan said: "We are Manchester United, we want trophies. For a team like us, not being in a final for nine years, this is big." Madani added: "It will make it even sweeter."

OLDEST in DUBAI

Dubai Chelsea Supporters Club was set up by Tim Ansell in 1999. It became an official branch of the Chelsea FC Supporters Club at the start of the 2000-01 season following a stopover in Dubai from Australia by the then club owner Ken Bates. It is the only official Chelsea supporters club in the Middle East

Meeting place: Fibber Magee’s (Behind Jumbo Electronics on Shaikh Zayed Road)

For more information: go to www.dcsc.info/home.asp