CAIRO: The morning after the Egyptian Cup final, fans of both Al Ahly and Zamalek celebrated the results of the exciting match. Meanwhile, "flag businessmen were counting the money they collected selling fans cheering materials for the season's final face-off. Red Devils' supporters were satisfied with their 4-3 victory, and the White Tribe fans were content with their team's performance, putting up a fierce fight until the final whistle. But in the alleys of Downtown Manasra, Hassan Abu Omar, "the father of the flag business as he is called by the younger generation, was more concerned with the end of his fiscal year. He did not seem pleased to be disturbed by a journalist as he had more important things to do. Every year following the Egyptian Cup final, Abu Omar hires an accountant to look into his books, calculate the revenues, expenses and determine the profit. When that's taken care of, his employees are given a one-month vacation with a bonus depending on how well the business performed. This was a good year. Since Egypt hosted the African Cup of Nations (ACN) in 2006, people started looking differently at football flags and, according to Abu Omar, "business boomed. Profits in this sector increased 150 percent in 2006. While not quite as successful, business was good this year, especially when compared to 2005. "We evolved from small traders who sold a few red and white flags to businessmen that created new forms of cheering, with hats the colors of the Egyptian flag, whistles, balloons and noisemakers, Abu Omar said. While this business may seem insignificant to many, Abu Omar and his 25 employees consider it their life's work. To them, heritage, quality and profit are what counts. "In the past, only a few people would buy an occasional flag when going to the stadium. Usually fans would save their flags for future matches, Mahrous, Abu Omar's assistant explained. The increase in sales, he argues, is directly related to the introduction of the "female-factor to matches since the ACN last year. "Girls love to buy new things, and most of our profit comes from the pretty young ladies who go to matches these days, he said. Like any product, these flags and hats are created from raw materials, namely fabrics, sewn together at a small factory nearby. Although there has recently been a hike in the cost of these raw materials, upping production costs, the relative increase in the number of buyers has compensated for the difference. Still, the boom did not come without its downfalls. As vendors realized the profit potential, competition increased. Fifteen-year-old Mosaad, who sells flags in front of the stadium, complained that it has recently been a struggle to survive on the street. "I remember in 2000, there were a number of competitors whom I knew and we had a code: not to trespass on each other's territories, he said. "Nowadays, every match ends with a fight with the newcomers to the business who want to make quick profit and have no respect for the rules. Nevertheless, Abu Omar shrugs this off as merely kid's play. "Not everyone in the business is a businessman, we know where these people get their material and their quality will never reach the quality we produce, he said. "We're sad that this football season is over, Abu Omar said, "but come September, we will have more ideas. After all, every businessman needs to stay ahead of the competition.
