Dubai: Nearly 47 per cent of families across the UAE are prone to collapse or differences that could lead to divorce thanks to the tension over cheering for favourite teams in the World Cup 2014.
As Brazil 2014’s kicked off a few days ago, a top family counsellor has warned that unswerving support of rival football teams could lead to an unprecedented increase in divorces.
“Up to 47 per cent of families are prone to breakdowns, disagreements, fights and edgy or heated arguments that could lead to divorce as well. Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers and children need to be aware of their actions while watching World Cup matches and cheering their favourite teams… the consequences could be irreparable,” said Khalifa Mohammad Al Muharrazy, Head of the Family Consultative Council.
Sometimes results of games could cause a heated argument or a fight between husbands and wives and probably end in irrevocable disagreement or divorce, said Al Muharrazy.
His warning came in light of a recent field study that he conducted on 300 married couples in the UAE.
“Around 84 per cent of the husbands watch the World Cup matches with keen interest. Meanwhile, 67 per cent of the wives have expressed that they fear the edginess and nervousness of their husbands which surfaces while watching the games. These wives has strongly expressed their fears that the tenseness of their husbands could lead to heated arguments and/or fights. Eleven per cent have confirmed that they do indulge in fights with their husbands. They said they do exchange words and insults with their tense husbands,” said the study, a copy of which was obtained by Gulf News.
However, Al Muharrazy confirmed that 12 per cent of the wives [who were included in the study] stressed that watching the World Cup games does not strain their marriages.
“When asked whether they watch football games with their husbands during the World Cup, nearly 70 per cent of the wives said they are not interested in the game. Meanwhile, 20.5 per cent of the wives said they watch football with their husbands,” said Al Muharrazy.
The study included a 32-year-old divorced woman, who said her husband divorced her because they had a heated argument and fought after his favourite team lost.
