In the aftermath of Egypt's famous victory in the Africa Cup of Nations, Alaa Abdel-Ghani examines what it means to win They said it could not be done -- an off-white country capturing the Africa Cup of Nations (ACN) in darkest West Africa, home to the continent's mightiest teams. And indeed, despite being defending champions, Egypt was some way down the list of pre-tournament favourites, an afterthought kept in the shadows by the likes of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon. But how wrong the pundits and public were. Under an astute coach who boasted a history of success in the tournament, Egypt acted as a cohesive unit whose side, in contrast to many of the more star-studded squads in action at the tournament in Ghana, was based on a majority of homegrown talent who continue to ply their trade in their domestic league, and punctuated by only a handful of foreign-based players. Of the seven Egyptians chosen for the African All-Star team, selected on the strength of their ACN performance, not one has his football cleats on rich and famous European soil. This teamwork ethos -- how the sum is greater than parts, how Egypt's stellar run owed everything to old-fashioned preparation and persistence -- might explain how and why we won one of the world's most prestigious soccer championships, but does not necessarily rationalise the mass of euphoria that came with the victory. Much has been written about the effects of winning on national psyche. Jingoist patriotism is the fashionable answer. The nation's colours and flag became an ubiquitous uniform worn by all to exhibit devotion while providing special dignity and meaning. "People are happy because they long for their country," says Yehia El-Rekhawi, a Cairo University psychiatrist. "They miss the meaning of the homeland and the flag which was held aloft by thousands of Egyptians, considering it the symbol of their country which they have rallied around." From the head of the International Association of Psychiatry Ahmed Okasha: "Citizens are sharing a general goal and hope. They have forgotten their pain, agony and suffering... Bad news surrounds youth everywhere. Everyone is desperate. That's why they're after a ray of hope that could make them happy even for only a short while." Okasha gives the revelry around 48 hours "before we return to our normal lives." Most peculiar about the ACN victory is its complete lack of impact on our immediate and literal bread and butter life -- yet we celebrate. "Egyptians feel pressured and deprived of their basic needs, forcing them to look for a reason to be happy even if this is embodied in winning a football match," Ali Leila, professor of sociology at Ain Shams University, said. "They are enhancing their happiness to act as a counterweight to their state of deprivation and depression." Many claims are made about football's qualities to ameliorate the lives of its devotees. Football is a distractive pastime, satiating a human need for amusement and leisure, especially in hard times, yet has no power of its own accord to change the world. For many, for millions, it doesn't mean a thing. Underneath the street confetti, the cup will not put LE50 worth of meat on the table. It won't pay those light bulb bills. It won't increase a pension already meagre. It won't send your child to that fancy language school. It won't fix the apartment cracks. It won't buy an apartment in the first place. It won't stave off bird flu. It won't open or seal Rafah or usher in a Middle East peace. It won't stop job-seeking migrants from drowning off the cost of treacherous waters. It won't stop buildings from collapsing. It won't find bread or drinking water. It will not improve civil liberties or a human and civil rights record. It will not lead to change, to reform, to more democracy. It will not stem systemic corruption. It will not persuade people to care about one another. It will not decrease increasing poverty and moral decay. It will not shake off the widespread feeling of discontent. The cup cannot guarantee a future beyond today. As such, the famed sports quote "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing", does not always hold. Winning is not the only thing. Which is why sports critic Hassan El-Mistikawi absolutely refuses to politicise people's happiness. "There are only three reasons people are happy," El-Mistikawi told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Because even though the tournament was held abroad, we won, we played unexpectedly well throughout the campaign and because it was the second successive time to win the cup. It has nothing to do with being frustrated and poor." Affluent folks do like a win and like to show it. An ant could not have squeezed into the Champs- Elysees the night France won the 1998 World Cup. "The Germans came in third in the 2006 World Cup but 10 million people were on the streets in support," adds El-Mistikawi backing the argument that winning in sport does not have much to do with how much is in your pocket. Whether you're well off or trying to make ends meet, oppressed or free, black or white, it's nice to win. It's fun. It's a feel-good feeling, even if fleeting, to be No 1. For many, a function of sport is to provide a form of therapy: football is a diversion from the harsh realities and complexities of life, an escape into a dream-world where heroic characters delight and inspire with their skill, ingenuity and success. In a world where moral decisions can be complex, and the avoidance of automatic allegiance to one's own side can be exceedingly hard for many, football culture offers a simple answer: support your own team. Everything then appears uncomplicated. We ought to enjoy the display of excellence, creativity, contests and challenges which the game exemplifies, but acknowledge that the public amity between citizens that football can bring to bear is a weak substitute for the genuine societal relations that have broken down in much of our society. Root on, but be suspicious of the emotions football victories ignite, the passions they arouse, and realise that football and its attendant flag-waving are not the panacea. That a country with so many woes can produce a football team that could exact defeat so mercilessly on supposedly more powerful foes on the pitch says much about the team ethic which was placed above all else. Much of what ails Egypt does not converge in the story of its national team. We can learn a thing or two from the total teamwork our team displayed. We would like to be like them. To perfect the teamwork that won us the cup.
