Egyptian football: a hotbed of rivalries, antagonism and politics

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/02/egyptian-football-rivalries-antagonism-politics

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Egyptian football has long been a hotbed of rivalries, antagonism and politics. The game has an illustrious history with the country's leading club, Al Ahly, having started life over a century ago, largely as a symbol against then British rule. The team name even translates as The National.

Al Ahly have gone on to be giants of African football, winning the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League six times and securing a record 36 Premier League titles. Traditionally the team's support comes from the poor and devout of Cairo's suburbs but, as the name suggests, they are widely supported throughout Egypt.

Their biggest rivals are Zamalek. Both teams come from Cairo and on derby day the city is painted in two colours: the red of Al Ahly and the white of Zamalek. The latter previously had close links to the monarchy and the ruling British elite. Al Ahly fans chide their rivals by calling them foreigners, but today the identity of Zamalek's fans is complex, attracting many liberals put off by Al Ahly's overt nationalism under Hosni Mubarak.

The Cairo derby is played without home advantage. The match is moved to the neutral Cairo International stadium and a foreign referee officiates. Violence involving the two teams' supporters, and Egypt's third team, Ismaily has been common place. Al Ahly's bitter rivalry with Port Said's Al Masri – another club steeped in nationalist history and whose name means The Egyptian – is relatively recent.

Although one of Egypt's oldest clubs, Al Masri has enjoyed little success. With most money and political influence showered on the two big clubs in Cairo, the team has adopted something of a Millwall-esque outsider status. As a member of Zamalek's hardcore fan base, the Ultras White Knights 07, said shortly after the tragedy in Port Said, the rivalry between the two was not political but an "accumulation of mutual aggression" between Ahlawy, the Al Ahly ultras and Al Masri fans in the past two years and also "a lack of security and cops".

The ultras are a relatively recent addition to Egypt's already fractured footballing landscape. Organised fan groups that first emerged in 2007, they became increasingly political and anti-authoritarian under Mubarak's rule. They played a key role by uniting, taking to the streets and fighting the police – something they have been doing for years – during last January's revolution.

In the security vacuum that has followed Mubarak's downfall, that unity has crumbled and old antagonisms have risen to the surface - 2011 was littered with examples of violence and pitch invasions. Last April, Al Ahly's ultras were forced to flee Port Said when riots broke after Al Masri fans met them at the train station. More than 20 were injured. Even Al Ahly's players complained that their team bus was attacked with rocks.

The appalling scenes in Port Said have at least had one positive effect. Football fans have united and marched together to Tahrir Square to demand answers, whether from Al Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaily or Al Masri.

•<em> James Montague is the author of When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone</em>