Dena Rashed delves into the life of true blue Egyptian fans It was one of January's chillier nights in Cairo when football fans gathered to watch Egypt play a friendly match against South Africa, less than a week before the launch of the African Cup of Nations (ACN). In Al-Sayida Aisha, one of Cairo's low-income districts, eyes were glued to the screen in the numerous coffee shops, waiting for a goal, or better yet, a win. Like many Egyptians, a group of middle- aged men in one of the oldest coffee shops on the street were there, maintaining a habit of always watching big games together. "It is a tradition to watch important games here in the coffee shop and it is always fun to watch the game with our group," said Said Saari, a labourer. "We're already planning when to watch the ACN." In Egypt, coffee shops have been the place to watch football for decades and with the introduction of sports satellite channels, these street cafes have managed to attract their customers with more and more channels. "For many people it is expensive to subscribe to these channels which have exclusive rights to many matches, so many people have no option but to watch the matches at coffee shops," said Ayman Mohamed, a researcher at the Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute. Watching the games in coffee shops also appears to be economically a better option for some people. "I would really like to watch the ACN in the stadium but it is going to be too expensive for me," said Mohamed, another labourer. Third class tickets used to cost LE5 but with the renovations that Cairo Stadium recently underwent, the same ticket now costs LE15. "Although I love football, at the end I'm just a worker and I would rather save the money for my family," he said. While fans are supposed to support their national team despite their club affiliations, some admit they prefer to support only the players who are members of their teams, mainly Ahli and Zamalek, the two biggest football clubs in Egypt. "I can't deny I belong to Ahli club and I certainly support its players more," said Said Shahin, another member of Al-Sayida Aisha football group. "The ACN will end in less than a month but the club I support will still be there." Ayman Mohamed argued that divided fans are part of a bigger picture. "It seems that belonging is a problem on its own. Many people belong to smaller things -- to a club, a group or an area -- other than to their country," he said. "It is a great opportunity for all the football fans to have the ACN played here but we know our team is not ready," says TV spectator Atef who is doubtful about how well prepared Egypt is. South Africa confirms Atef's suspicions when they score. And with that the group sinks in despair. "South Africa is supposed to be one of the average teams, and they are beating us one week before the ACN begins. I think we should get ready for bad results," said Saari. Mohamed argued that he was expecting better advertisement for the ACN "but they only started a month ago. The championship should have been used more to promote Egyptian tourism abroad and to gear up the fans." One of the best advertisements so far has been a Hisham Abbas song that contains many sports ethics. One of the few advertisements for the ACN is a promotional campaign for Nescafe at Negoum FM radio channel where fans call up and create slogans to support the national team. Ever day LE1,000 is given away for the best slogan. On the other side of town, in Heliopolis, a high-income district, the football craze is as strong as it is in Al-Sayida Aisha. Amr Ismail, a dentist who loves watching any football game by any team, is excited about Egypt hosting the ACN but was not as excited with the advertising. "Except for a couple of posters of the two major players in Ahli and Zamalek and the coach of the national team, and the ACN song, it is difficult to imagine we are hosting this important sports event," Ismail said. "The organisers should have woken up early since there is not enough media attention." Ismail has already made plans to watch the important games in the stadium. "Definitely if Egypt is playing, it would be a must to go to the stadium." Some football fans, like Tamer Bahaa, an engineer, like to watch even the important games at home. Bahaa was planning to attend the opening of the ACN, but because he has doubts as to how well Egypt will do, he decided he will not go to the stadium. "We trust our clubs more than our national team, and with the poor performance of the national team in the past matches, I don't believe we will do well. If we lose I will be too upset to even watch the rest of the matches." Football is the number one sport in Egypt, and its fans are as dedicated as they come. For some, football is a passion, whether Egypt is playing or not. As Mohamed Nour, a social counselor and a regular member of the coffee shop of Al-Sayida Aisha, said, "I would personally still watch the matches even if Egypt is eliminated. Watching football is a pleasure on its own." For what it's worth, South Africa beat Egypt 2-1, just six days before the start of the ACN.
