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Panini World Cup sticker craze lands in Dubai as swap shops open for business

A completed Fifa World Cup Panini sticker album is the pride of the playground in many parts of the world.

Every four years, children spend pocket money on collecting packs to swap with friends.

Created by Italian company Panini Group, the sticker albums have been released for every tournament since 1970.

They are again a popular feature ahead of this year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Even in Dubai, the hunt for them is as strong as anywhere, despite the stickers not being available for sale locally because there are no distributors.

This year, the feat of collecting all 670 stickers for the latest album is likely to be the most expensive yet.

Depending on where you live in the world, a complete collection will cost about $135 (Dh500) ― that is, of course, if you get all the stickers the first time around

Typically, duplicates are swapped with friends, with shiny stickers of a national badge or stadium picture usually commanding a higher value.

Chris Huntley, 38, a British primary school teacher who also trades in vintage football shirts with RetroSportifDXB, is an avid collector who established Dubai’s first bi-weekly swap shop. “Collecting Panini stickers is something I do for every World Cup,” said Mr Huntley, who says France 98 was his most memorable tournament.

While Panini offers an option to buy missing stickers to complete a book, aficionados believe in the purity of the swap deals.

Mr Huntley, who began collecting World Cup stickers 32 years ago for Italia 90, hosts regular swap shops at Nightjar coffee shop in Alserkal Avenue.

Another avid Dubai collector is Simon Smedley ― better known locally as radio DJ Catboy on Dubai 92 ― who has been involved in collecting World Cup stickers since 1978. Mr Smedley, who admits to not being a football fan outside of the World Cup, is heavily involved with the swap shop meet-ups. His wife Lorra has even developed a spreadsheet of stickers required.

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Source
The National
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