"I always ignore the obstacles and look only for doors of opportunity," says Varghese Edattukaran, an accommodation manager with FIFA's Tournaments and Events wing. A native of Mala in Thrissur district, Varghese is in charge of VIP accommodation and team base camps at Qatar 2022.
From organising Onam programmes and street plays in his home village as a youngster to helming a mega event like the FIFA World Cup, Varghese's journey has been fascinating.
“Following in my elder brother's footsteps, I landed in Dubai in the early 90s seeking a job in the hospitality sector. As I was keen on exploring new vistas in my career path, I went to Switzerland and earned a degree in hotel management. After returning to Dubai I wanted to join Emirates Tourism. I attended their interview thrice, and succeeded in my third attempt. In the meantime, I married Susan, who is from Switzerland and obtained Swiss citizenship."
A job at the United Nations has always been Varghese's big dream. However, he was hired by football's global governing body FIFA, which has more member associations than the UN! He joined FIFA's accommodation wing in 2019. The same year, he travelled to India to oversee the preparations for the U-17 women's World Cup.
