ZARQA: After spending most of his life cooped up at home due to a rare disease, Jordan’s Amer Abou Nawas has become a star on social media where he cheerfully shares his unconditional love for football.

Offering analysis of matches in major European championships in Arabic, his Facebook page Almouhalil Bayti (in-house analyst in Arabic) is followed by almost a quarter of a million subscribers.

His community of “followers” has become something of a “big family”, the 27-year-old told AFP who was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that makes bones brittle called “glass bone disease”.

Because of his disability, he rarely leaves his home in Zarqa, 30 kilometers from Amman.

“It is true that I have never played soccer or watched a game, but football means everything to me”, whispered Amer Abu Nawas behind his silky black beard.

With no schools in Jordan for disabled children, the young man spends most of his time watching football matches, analyzing teams and playing video games.

“I always felt like it took me from one world to another,” he said.

Seeing his love for soccer, his family then encouraged him to share his passion online and in 2017, he launched his own Facebook page which has over 243,000 subscribers.

“Across This Wall”

Filmed with a smartphone from his bedroom, Amer Abou Nawas’ video shows him generally wearing a soccer shirt and enthusiastically commenting on countless matches and news from the world of football.

An avid fan of the Premier League and particularly of club Liverpool is also intrigued by his videos on the French, German, Italian or Spanish championships, sometimes using tables in the shape of a pitch to outline matches and tactical schemes.

One of his latest videos even reached more than 1.4 million views and recently he has also posted his videos on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.

“From this room, this little place isolated from the world, I can cross these walls, reach people, communicate with them, create content and be who I am today,” said the young Jordanian.

His relationship with his customers? About a “family” that is “growing day by day, and I hope to reach as many followers as possible.”

His real family struggles to ensure a comfortable life despite the many pitfalls.

Amer Abou Nawas is the youngest of three children, his father is a doctor and his mother is a pharmacist.

In his room there are shelves containing game consoles, computers, and plastic baskets filled with various objects. And on his bed is a phone, remote control, headphones and a long clamp catches it all.

Not a hindrance

“He lives in his own universe, in a room heated to 27 degrees to avoid getting cold or catching pneumonia. He can order what he wants using the remote control”, says his father Youssef .

He added that his son’s friends sometimes visit him and “when he doesn’t feel well, they take him on minibuses”.

Amer Abou Nawas lamented that in Jordan “no one cares” about people with an illness like him, adding that he hopes to have the opportunity to attend school.

“The conditions for people with special needs are disastrous”, he still regrets.

“I can’t study because there are no schools for people like me,” he said bitterly.

Last year, organizers of the FIFA World Cup invited him to attend the tournament in Qatar, but due to travel difficulties related to his disability, he arrived late and was unable to attend any matches. The fact remains that he spent the “best ten days” of his life there.

“I am at peace with myself and with my situation (…) Disability should not be a barrier to success”, he concluded optimistically.