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Bahrain's barmy army of fans were in excellent voice as they chanted, drummed and danced in the aisles on a special Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to New Zealand, via a short stop-over in Kuala Lumpur and a training stint in Sydney, Australia.
Coach Milan Macala and members of the squad frequently stepped out of first and business class to mingle with the supporters and press party travelling in economy class during the long flight.
The cabin crew watched on smiling as supporters started singing and playing the drums and one energetic fan even had the trolley-dollies in fits of laughter with an impromptu version of the dance of the seven veils with a blue blanket.
The planeload of fans who have made the 9,079-mile trip now face a daunting task of trying to out-sing a capacity crowd of Kiwis in Wellington on Saturday. Win or lose, they plan to party in style!
Bahrain's national football team will play their decisive World Cup soccer qualifying round against New Zealand on Saturday for a place in the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
The squad reached Sydney for final training sessions and getting acclimatised to the weather. Tomorrow, they will leave for their final destination, Wellington, New Zealand.
The squad was given a warm send-off from Bahrain International Airport on Sunday. Speaking to the team at the departure lounge, Gulf Air chief executive Samer Majali said: "Gulf Air is very proud to be the official carrier of Bahrain's national football team.
"You have worked very hard to get here today and you have the support of the entire kingdom willing you to successfully cross this final hurdle and gain a place in the World Cup Finals in South Africa next year.
"Your success will be a historic moment for Bahrain. Football is, without doubt, the kingdom's favourite sport and whatever the result may be in New Zealand, I can assure you that Gulf Air is committed to supporting the game at all levels, from the grassroots up to you, the national team.
"And should you be victorious in Wellington, I can also assure you that Gulf Air will make special arrangements to fly you and your supporters out to South Africa for the event."
General Organisation for Youth and Sport (Goys) president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Khalifa said: "Following the signing of the MoU between Goys and Gulf Air agreeing that Bahrain's national carrier would be the official carrier of the Bahrain national football team as per the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and chairman of the Supreme Council of Youth and Sports, this World Cup bid has taken on a new dimension.
"It is a proud moment to watch the team boarding the Gulf Air aircraft to go off and compete in this significant football match. A win or score draw is all that is needed for the Bahrain national team to create history and compete in their first ever World Cup Finals.
"We are very grateful to Gulf Air for their ongoing support and commitment to football at all levels in Bahrain."
Bahrain Football Association vice-president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said: "I would first like to take this opportunity to thank Gulf Air for their support of the national football team in its World Cup campaign.
"The team could not have asked for better preparation for such a match than to be flown out by their national airline enabling them to feel completely at home and relaxed before such a big game."
GulfWeekly editor Stan Szecowka was among the media team that accompanied the national squad as it took off for New Zealand.
THE BAHRAIN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
Ahmed Hassan
Ismael Abdul Latif
Sayed Mohd Jaffar Sabt
Jaycee John
Hassan Khalfan
Hussain Baba
Hussain Salman
Hussain Ali
Salman Isa
Faouzi Aaish
Abbas Ahmed
Abbas Ayyad
Abdul Razzaq Mohammed
Abdullah Al Dakheel
Abdullah Al Marzouq
Abdullah Omar
Fatai Abdullah
Mohammed Sayed Adnan
Mohammed Hubail
Mohammed Hussain
Mohammed Salmeen
Mahmood Jalal
Mahmood Abdulrahman
Murjan Eid
