Housebound Jordanian football fan a social media star

ZARQA: Having spent most of his life housebound due to a medical condition, Jordanian Amer Abu Nawas’s love of football has propelled him to social media stardom. Offering analysis of matches from the leading European football leagues to almost a quarter of a million followers, his Facebook page — “HouseAnalyzer” in Arabic — has grown into what he describes as a “big family.” The 27-year-old was born with osteogenesis, or brittle bone disease, a genetic condition hindering normal bone growth that has meant he rarely leaves his home in Zarqa, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Jordan’s capital Amman. “It is true that I have never played football in my life, and have never attended any match, but for me football is everything,” Abu Nawas told AFP. With no schools in the country catering to his needs, Abu Nawas grew up spending much of his time watching football matches, analizing the teams and playing football video games. “This always made me feel like it is taking me from this world to a different one,” he said. His relatives noticed his passion and encouraged him to publish his match analyzes online. In 2017, he launched his Facebook account, which now counts more than 243,000 followers.

Filmed on a phone in his bedroom, Abu Nawas’s videos usually feature him wearing a football jersey, excitedly commenting on matches and news from the world of football. Discussing leagues from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, he sometimes uses a football pitch-shaped board to explain tactical nuances. One of Abu Nawas’s latest videos reached more than 1.4 million viewers and he has started posting on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. He said he was grateful for modern technology allowing him to connect with so many people.