A new prominence of women in the stands has changed the atmosphere of football matches forever. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab captures the mood of a nation This year, as Egypt plays host to the 25th African Cup of Nations, something rare and exciting has happened in the stands. In a country where football is highly popular with men, young and old, women are, for the first time, rushing to support the Egyptian national team with as much fervour as their male counterparts. Groups of young women attending matches with their friends, and mothers accompanying their football-crazy children have now come to comprise almost 50 per cent of the fans. This new dawn of female passion for the game breaks the archetypal image of the all-male football stadium. And although many Egyptian women may yet have much to learn about the ins and outs of the game, they are sure of one thing: their desire to support the nation regardless. "Women don't like soccer per se," said Nadia Omar, a 42-year- old housewife. "In fact, football is the source of many domestic clashes." Going to the stadium was once a men's affair, not because women's access was restricted, but because they simply weren't interested. Now that her children have started to enjoy the game, however, Omar has started to change her mind. Already, since the start of the tournament, she has been to watch two matches. And she has discovered how much fun it can be to join in and encourage the national spirit. Indeed, stadium fever is at such a high that even children are being infected. Eleven-year-old Youssef and his cousin Ahmed made their own getaway while pretending to be meeting at a club and, just before the Egypt-Morocco game had begun, made their way to the stadium without letting their parents know. "There were no tickets left when we got there," Youssef sniggered. "But security let us in and we watched the game for free." Asked whether they were worried something might happen to them in the midst of a crowd which could potentially have become rowdy, he explained: "We were not afraid. Everyone these days is talking about how football matches have become safer than before because of the presence of women." While the lucky 70,000 Egyptians who manage to book the rare-to-find tickets are seated, everyone else stands. Boisterous chants echo throughout the stadium, and the fans' enthusiastic endorsement is clear. Throughout the match, the pattern is one: pumped fists, full-throated yells and collective cries of 'Ohooo' and 'Ahhh', only to be punctuated by the obligatory mocking 'Yeeeehs' for the despised opponents. Adding to the crowd spirit, even the Western-style 'wave' has been adopted and regularly features both before the match and during half-time. While more traditional fans wrap the Egyptian flag around their shoulders throughout the game, others attend in fashionable gear. Any sobriety, however, is immediately broken up by those sporting the latest fashion statement to hit Egyptian streets: an enormous red, black and white hat, emulating the colours of the flag. Marking a revival of tribal culture and power -- if only for 90 minutes -- most of the fans have their faces and arms painted. As for the flag phenomenon, it's everywhere. Sold in shops and in the streets, the resurgence of the banner's prominence marks, for many, an opportunity to show some patriotism. Indeed, young female fans sporting the key red-white-black trio look something like a well-trained army ready for action. But what do they know about football? As in most countries, particularly those in the Mediterranean, Egyptian women remain very much on the sidelines when it comes to football. Neither have the majority been raised to enjoy it, nor do they understand or like it when they grow into adulthood. But it is the youth who hold the key, for they may just grow into full-on sports lovers after the African cup is over. "I don't understand anything about the game and my friends laugh at me when I comment about the players' frequent collapses," said 16- year-old Menna Hossam, explaining that she had never seen a live game before. "All I know is that I really wanted to attend and support my team. It's a national duty, and it's fun at the same time." Hossam, who watched the match with seven girls and eight boys, noted that the latter also cared about how they looked in the stands, and that they too were dressed in the tri-colour fashion. And while the young men painted full masks, the girls went for the somewhat more chic option -- following the rule of less-is- more -- and drew small flags on their cheeks. "Youth is never traditional, so we chose to support our team in style. What I most enjoyed," she added, "was doing the wave and holding the flag close to my heart." Indeed, what Hossam and the others felt was a sense of belonging. "We all love Egypt but we felt it more than ever in the stadium." She paid almost 120LE for a second-class ticket from the black market, which would normally cost LE35. As soon as the game was over, she was hungry for more, and promised she would try and watch the next match too. Another trend relating to the new prominence of women in the stands is a definite calming among the male fans, who are usually known for being rowdy. "For one, men don't swear as much any more," said Mahmoud Ramadan, a 40-year-old fan. "Men watch their words." Hazem Emam, Egypt's ex-midfielder concurred, saying that "the stadium looks prettier than before. It encourages the players to play. Women really changed the mood of the game." And while most would agree that the effect has been, on the whole, positive, some feel that the quality of the show has been badly affected. "Sure, there is less misbehaviour, indecency and verbal abuse," said fan Hazem Ahmed. "But the new fans don't understand the game. I attended the African finals in 1986 and the scene was really different. We didn't care what anyone wore: all we cared about was the game and about being able to support our team. Our eyes were fixed on the ball. But now," he lamented, "the girls wear such big hats that I can't even see the players! Groups of young people will leave their seats en masse to go for food and drinks, and kids perpetually nag their parents to go to the bathrooms." He added that he paid LE150 to go to the Egypt-Ivory Coast match, and he didn't even see the goals! "I only caught a glimpse of the goal scored by the Ivorian team. Honestly, I don't have anything against women, but the games have started to look like carnivals, not matches." For Ashraf El-Shami, a sports critic, the debate is all part of the fun. For him, football has the magical effect of bringing people together. "I think religion and soccer can unite Egyptians," he said. "Only Amr Khaled and national football matches can inspire such levels of national unity here." For him, one of the main reasons why the games attracted so much attention was the quality of pre-tournament advertising. "The ads were done in style and aroused a sense of national belonging among the fashionable youth," he said. Madeleine Soppi Kotto, a Cameroonian radio and television reporter, told the Weekly that she was impressed with the levels of support the team received from Egyptian fans, and, in particular, from the women. "They remind me of the Cameroonian women who go to the stadium to back their team fanatically but they don't really understand the game itself," she said. And while the notion of so much excitement about grown men running after a ball continues to strike many people as ridiculous and foolish, the cup has proved its ability to unite Egyptians -- whether they are crazy about football or ignorant of the rules -- for the love of their country.
