By Mohamed El-Sayed To the outside observer, the intertwining of Egyptian and football appears to be something that is inborn -- a sizeable portion, in a sense, of the national heritage. Football matches, tournaments, leagues and round-robins are part of the local lingo, and cutting the working day short to catch a big match on TV is absolutely the norm. But it was not always that way. The idea of organising an Egyptian football league took root in 1939, at the start of the World War II. The game had found its way to Egypt in its current structured form in 1882, when British troupes brought it into the country. From behind the barricades that fenced- off the colonial forces, the locals watched in awe. It took off from there, spreading and gaining support. And at last in 1939, the country felt it was ready for a league. The idea stemmed from two renowned Egyptian footballers: Mohamed Latif and Mustafa Kamel Mansour -- both just back from their pro places in the Scottish Football League. The two players were young, talented, and aware of the status of football around the world. But they lacked the know-how to make the Egyptian league a reality. It was Mahmoud Badreddin, the secretary- general of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) at the time, who was the force behind the creation of the league. A man, history tells, who fought relentlessly for the cause. It took two years for his efforts to begin, on some level, to pay off. While the proposals and phone calls and letters did lead to the murmuring about Badreddin's idea around political circles in town, it was not until Haidar Pasha, head of the EFA, fully adopted the idea that change began to evolve. It was October 1948. Haidar Pasha took the idea to King Farouk, who promptly initiated a royal decree proclaiming the formation of the Egyptian national league -- the nation's most important event. Badreddin had displayed an unwavering patience in his call for the new tournament, and he was immediately likened to the French lawyer Jules Remet -- creator of the World Cup. Remet proposed the idea in 1926, calling it a "necessity", and conceptualising a vision that would make the World Cup the most prestigious football event in the world. Initially, it was shrugged of as a mediocre thought. Not until four years later did the idea bud -- the first World Cup being held in Uruguay in 1930. Like Remet, Badreddin was far from a famous football figure. But what he was distinguished for was his hard work and passion for the game. He also shone as a referee, despite being undeniably fat. His speed and ability to keep close to the ball brought him applaud. His fairness and evenhandedness, coupled with his reputation for nurturing the referring potential in youth, earned him national respect. Badreddin's contribution to the bettering of the game was not limited to refereeing. He worked as a football manager in both Ahli and Zamalek clubs, and served as the administrator of the Egyptian team which took part in 1934 World Cup in Italy. Egypt's involvement marked the unprecedented participation of an African or Arab nation in the event. His passion was clear, and perhaps slightly consuming. Badreddin made what one can call an "act of love": he quit his post as a professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Ibrahim Pasha University (now Ain Shams University) to devote "the rest of his life", as he said, to his favourite sport. And from there things flourished, and Badreddin founded another pillar in the history of the game: becoming the first radio football commentator, at the Egyptian Broadcasting Company. His simple, vibrant style in describing live matches propelled the game's popularity, and the 1940s in consequence witnessed football interest spread. And what had started as a mere broadcasting of match results, evolved into match summaries, and then into the broadcast of the whole match live on air. His radio experience was just one reflection of his so-called "obsession with creative ideas". One of his more innovative ideas was the technique he used to enhance radio-listeners' visualisation abilities, and hence stimulate their involvement and enthusiasm in the match. Badreddin divided the pitch into eight squares while commenting on a game, so that listeners could imagine where the ball is. It was a technique fast picked up by other radio football commentators around the globe. Simultaneous to his radio days was his election as secretary-general of the EFA at the beginning of the 1940s. That too proved vital to the game. Badreddin discovered the reality of the game's state of affairs. The nation's primary football governing body was functioning in an absence of structure and goal. To Badreddin, the reality was horrific, and it didn't take him long to appoint himself the director of the EFA, drawing for himself the hefty salary of LE50. It was a matter that predictably gave rise to harsh criticism, which Badreddin responded to by doing away with the financial support given to the EFA by the Ministry of Social Affairs. He announced, instead, that the association was going to finance itself independently. The brainchild that came to symbolise Badreddin and his role in the game included as well the introduction of new styles to Egyptian squads. He was the one who picked up the third- back tactic from the British Wanderers team who visited Egypt in the 1940s, explaining the novel format to the Egyptian teams, who ultimately excelled in its execution. Mahmoud Badreddin left an indelible mark on football in Egypt. And inherently, on the nation as a whole.
