footballuprising

Zamalek’s chairman had filed the case before dropping charges

Von James M. Dorsey

This month’s premier league final between Cairo’s two storied clubs, Al Ahli SC and Al Zamalek SC, once the world’s most violent derby, was more than a clash between two soccer giants. It was a clash between management styles and diametrically opposed approaches towards militant, highly politicized, street battle-hardened soccer fans. The clash highlighted the advantages of engagement as opposed to the risk of radicalization and escalating political violence.

On the pitch like on the streets and university campuses of Egypt, Zamalek’s emergence as this year’s Egyptian champion despite Ahli having won the derby itself would seem to legitimize the club’s aggressive effort to criminalize its fan base.

The facts on the ground, however, suggest that Al Ahli’s engagement with its supporters has produced far better results, including greater cooperation with a group that like its Zamalek counterpart played a key role in the toppling in 2011 of President Hosni Mubarak and protests against all his successors in the past four years.

Members of Ultras Ahlawy, the Al Ahli support group, and Ultras White Knights (UWK), the Zamalek fan group, form the core of prominent student and youth groups that have been targeted by the government of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, who in 2013 toppled Egypt’s only democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, in a military coup. More than a thousand protesters have been killed on Mr. Al Sisi’s watch while tens of thousands have been incarcerated and thousands expelled from universities.

Continue reading “The Cairo Derby: Politics vs. repression”

Von Daily News Egypt

Cairo giant will host arch-rival Al-Zamalek in Alexandria’s Borg Al-Arab

Tensions over the whereabouts of the domestic football league’s most anticipated match of the season, between Cairo giants Al-Ahly and Al-Zamalek, required a top state authority’s intervention for resolution.

The match between the two arch rivals, set to take place on Tuesday, will be held in Alexandria’s Borg Al-Arab stadium.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) originally scheduled the Week 37 game between the two for the Red Sea resort city of Gouna on Tuesday afternoon, a decision strongly contested by Al-Ahly’s administration.

Continue reading “Al-Ahly forces venue change for title-deciding match”

Von Mahmoud Elassal

In a rally at home, Ahly fans say they are ready to return to stands at Saturday game against Tunisian Etoile du Sahel after a 3 1/2 year ban; offer to help secure matches

After Sunday’s well organised gathering in the club’s headquarter, Ahly’s hardcore fans – Ultras Ahlawy – called for crowd attendance starting from the game against Tunisian team Etoile du Sahel in the CAF Confederation Cup next week.

An official ban was issued by the Egyptian government following the Port Said stadium massacre in February 2012, which killed 74. The ban has prevented audience attendance at all league matches for over three years.

Thousands of Ultras Ahlawy members gathered in Ahly’s headquarters on Sunday to watch the last training session for the team during preparations for the Cairo derby clash against Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League.

The hardcore Ahly supporters carried a banner asking for a return of fan attendance starting from the Etoile du Sahel game.

Continue reading “Thousands of Ultras Ahlawy call for crowd return to Egypt football matches”