Bantams supporter to perform in front of 90,000 fans on cup final day
Bradford City may have missed out on their Wembley dream this season yet one Bantams super-fan will still be present at the FA Cup final, as he sings on the pitch before kick-off.
52-year-old Anwar Musa from Laisterdyke, has been a City supporter ever since he arrived in England in 1968 from his home in Kenya.
A season ticket holder, he has seen good and bad days at the West Yorkshire club, and was in the Main Stand at Valley Parade when the fire disaster killed 56 supporters in 1985.
Last month he won the chance to sing on the hallowed Wembley pitch prior to the Arsenal and Aston Villa cup final, on Saturday 30th May, after winning a Songs of Praise competition.
Describing the occasion as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity, Anwar says he has been warming up his vocal chords ahead of the big day.
“I have been to Wembley before as a fan to watch Bradford and every time we have been, we have sat high up in the stands,” he said.
“To be on the pitch this year as part of the football league choir will be brilliant. It is something my grandchildren can even look back on in the future and say my granddad was on that pitch.”
Anwar was chosen as the Bradford City representative for the pre-match entertainment and will help make up the 64-strong choir which will perform ‘Abide With Me’ prior to kick off.
One fan was chosen from each of the 64 clubs that reached the third round of this season’s FA Cup competition with more than 1,400 fans applying for their spot.
Anwar says it came as a shock to hear he had been successful in his application and remembers how he first fell in love with English football.
“It was the FA Cup final in 1972 between Arsenal and Leeds that really got me hooked and at that time everybody supported the big teams,” he said.
“As I lived in Bradford, it was City who got my support and we would go down to the game every matchday and cheer them on.
“Unlike today, my friend and I were some of the only Asian faces in the crowd and we stuck out like a sore thumb.
“I have seen the ups and downs of this club and I think we are now in a place where we can really grow and push on into the Championship and then who knows.”
He added that this year’s FA Cup final held special significance due to its timing with the landmark anniversary of the fire disaster.
“The final will be held just a few weeks after the 30th year anniversary of the Valley Parade fire so for me to be representing the club at Wembley is a real honour,” he said.
“I hope I can help take the spirit of those 56 fans with me to Wembley and show how great this club really is.”
