I became a supporter of Manchester City in the summer of 1978
It was actually a coincidence, I saw that their colour was sky blue
I liked the colour and I thought they were a good team, so I said why not
I never imagined that this decision would continue to impact my life until now
Back then, we would follow the football on BBC World Service radio
They used to broadcast the English league matches live
All of the English league games played at the same time back then
The civil war in Lebanon created a very harsh daily life
Those two hours we would spend on a Saturday afternoon in Beirut
We would transform and feel like we were actually in England, in those English stadiums
My first trip to Manchester was in April 2010, Mancini was the manager at the time and we had won
5-1 against Birmingham City
It was even better than I had imagined, especially when I saw the stadium
When I walked in and saw the blue colour everywhere, the green grass
And to be surrounded by the Man City fans, I was very overwhelmed, I teared up
Now, every year, I go at least once or twice to watch Man City and the feelings never change
Last year it was a particularly special experience as I went with my son, Fares, for the first time
Just before the game I went into the stadium and took a picture with the players
The players were so close to me, I felt like I was flying when I touched the pitch
In 2012, the last match of the season against QPR would have determined if we would win the league or not
I felt the importance of this moment for my father, it was a moment he had been waiting for all his life
He has been watching Man City for 40 years even though they always lost
I did not understand back then how important that match was, but I could feel that my father was more stressed than usual
I remember my father always said, about football and life in general, “it’s not over until it’s over”
My father was sitting, very tense, with so many emotions
I was used to seeing him every Saturday watching the game, but this was different
I sat down, completely focused, and started to pray, whatever my father wants please let him have it
I was so focused, and I heard shouting from my father who jumped in the air, I saw Layla running and my mother was scared
We scored two goals and won the match 3-2 against QPR
After I saw how excited they were by this match
I understood why those two goals were so important to win the league
This was the match that made me fall in love with football
One time I walked into a shop wearing a Man City shirt
A young man told me that he is part of a group of young men who are huge fans of Man City
I got to know them and brought them together and suggested we could contact the club
So that we could establish a supporter’s club for Man City fans in Lebanon
In 2017 we became the official association of Man City fans in Lebanon
The most important thing I want to say to young people
Is that they should not take for granted that Man City will always win
Nothing is guaranteed, and in football a certain bounce of the ball can change the entire game