Soccer World Youth Championship: The security guard - a native of Khartoum, Sudan, working in the United Arab Emirates since 1983, posted at the entrance to the Sheikh Khalifa stadium in Al-Ain - was busy studying the flags fluttering above his head.
He wanted some answers to questions that had, evidently, been troubling him long, long before the Group E squads arrived in Al-Ain to prepare for the World Youth Cup.
"One of them is not, I think - how do I say it - on the pole the correct way," he said, pointing at the Irish and Ivory Coast flags. "But which one," he asked, throwing his hands in the air.
Time, then, to sort out the flag problem - they're both attached to their respective poles in the correct manner. Ivory Coast is orange, white and green; Ireland is green, white and orange.
"Oh. Okay. And Mexico?"
Green, white and red.
"And Saudi Arabia?"
Green, with some Arabic writing and a sword (according to this tournament brochure).
"Okay," he said, stroking his chin, "that's a lot of green, yes?" Yes. Indeed, some might call it the World Youth Cup "group of death", others might label it the "environmentally friendly" group, although, come next Friday, Irish manager Gerry Smith will hope Ireland's second-round hopes are, well, beyond "recyclable".
Plenty of green, too, on the immaculately prepared pitch at the Sheikh Khalifa ground, five kilometres from the city centre, set in a bewilderingly opulent complex, one that exudes wealth - wealth that isn't shared by the Sudanese security guard, or any of the foreign workers (employed mainly in the service industries) who make up 75 per cent of the United Arab Emirates' two million population.
It falls upon them, on the whole, to welcome the Irish contingent to Al-Ain, the UAE city on the border with Oman, one of four World Youth Cup venues, along with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. And they welcome you in fine style.
"And good morning to you," says the taxi driver from the Philippines. "Sheikh Khalifa? No problem," he says, before driving you to a city centre street. No, no: the Sheikh Khalifa stadium. "Oh," he says, "where?" By now visitors to Al-Ain are beginning to understand that the World Youth Cup hasn't captured all the locals' imagination.
The Sheikh Khalifa stadium is not home to the Al-Ain club side, UAE champions in 2002 and 2003, but "hosts a large number of regular large-scale events", according to the bumph. So large, not even the local taxi drivers have heard of it. We get there, though. "Ah, you are feeling better," says the security guard, spotting "Ireland" on the accreditation badge and pointing at a two paragraph story in the local Arabic newspaper.
Sorry? "Sandra?" Ah! No. That'd be Sandra Powell (the FAI's chief administrator), who was hospitalised after taking ill earlier in the week. No, no, I'm grand - and Sandra's getting better. "Okay," he says, "I hope you get well soon". No, no . . . thanks.
Al-Ain. An oasis town, they call it, with a population of under 400,000. A tourist hot-spot at the foot of the Al-Hajar mountains on the border with Oman, 215kms from Dubai and 165 from Abu Dhabi. Sixty-five public parks and gardens, most of which the taxi-driver circles enroute to the World Cup venue. It's the birthplace of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed (no relation to Bray Wanderers' Eamon, despite his best fibbing attempts), who has poured money into his native city.
And it shows. It has the look of a place that has been built in the last 12 months, everything gleaming, although archaeological discoveries date settlements in Al-Ain to around 3000BC. A far cry from the two machine gun-toting soldiers who guard the entrance to the Group E teams' hotel in Al-Ain, where an X-ray machine is also used to examine the baggage of any visitors attempting to enter the Intercontinental.
"There are no security concerns or threats for this event," said FIFA president Sepp Blatter yesterday - Al-Ain, seemingly, is taking no chances.
Good news from the X-ray department of the local hospital, though, where Irish team doctor Ronan O'Callaghan took striker Stephen Elliott yesterday.
An aching right foot sparked fears of a stress fracture, but the Manchester City player got the all clear and is hopeful of being fit for tomorrow's opening group game against Saudi Arabia.
Darren Potter, too, is recovering from the ankle ligament injury he sustained in training last Sunday, and manager Gerry Smith is optimistic about his chances of being available for the Saudi game.
Smith and his assistant John McDonnell are still deliberating over their starting line-up against the Saudis - every minute of the day, by the sounds of it.
"Even when we're sitting out at the pool we're talking about this and that - you don't switch off just because the weather is beautiful and the camels have two humps, it's 24 hours," said Smith.
Who will be captain against the Saudis? "We have a short list, of 20," said McDonnell. "The problem with the captaincy is the fella you appoint expects to play in every game, and that won't necessarily be the case - we'll pick our team for Saturday, we'll have a captain, but depending on how it goes that could change," said Smith. "I have no doubts that if we stay in these championships for any period of time all players will be used."
Glen Whelan captained Ireland, from a relatively unaccustomed right-back role, in the final warm-up international against Paraguay in Dublin. Will he be captain again tomorrow?
"Well, I wasn't really expecting it last time, but I'd love to keep it," said the Clondalkin native who was on loan at Bury from Manchester City for the past six weeks.
"But all the lads are their own captains, it's not just about one person. I'd love to be captain against Saudi Arabia, but there's another 19 lads who'd love to be too.
"I'm the kind of player who likes encouraging the lads, so if I'm not captain I'll probably do that any way - I don't need the captain's armband to be giving help to others."
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