CAIRO: The conversation at this downtown Cairo cafe is on tonight's match between Egypt and England. The match itself means nothing, but Egyptians are prideful in their football. For them, it is a chance to show the world they can compete on the international stage, despite not making it to this year's World Cup. “Sure, it is just a friendly match, but we are so excited because what if we win?” asked Mohamed Adel, a 28-year-old waiter at the cafe in the Garden City neighborhood. “Look, we are sad we aren't going to the World Cup, but at least we can show the world that we belong in the top 10 teams in the world and that African football is good,” he said, referring to Egypt's latest ranking in the FIFA world rankings. The match, to be played at England's Wembley stadium, has not quite captured the nation as the African Cup of Nations did last month, when Egypt meandered its way to a third straight championship. But, for many Egyptians, football has become a way of life, almost an outlet from the daily struggles that have afflicted the nation in recent years. Omar Hassan, a recent college graduate who has yet to find a job, sees football as something that he doesn't need to get depressed over, even in defeat. “At least we know that this is fun and that the players are playing hard. There is no corruption in football,” he says. Linking the state of affairs of the country and daily life to his praise of the Egyptian team, Hassan believes that for many Egyptians “football is one of the few things that makes us come together and unite.” England is tuning up for the World Cup this June in South Africa and is hopeful that by playing Egypt they will get a glimpse of what they will face in the tournament. The English side is grouped with the United States, Slovenia and Algeria, a team that was forced to beat Egypt 1-0 in a playoff last November in Sudan to punch their ticket. “We will show them what it means to play an African and Arab side so they can see what they are up against,” added Adel. “We are better than Algeria so it should give them a real good chance to see who they will face. If they can somehow beat us, then they shouldn't have any problems with Algeria.” The chairs are already being rearranged by Adel and his fellow cafe staff, who are lining the areas around the four televisions to maximize the number of viewers. Excitement is in the air. BM
