Commentary: Egypt’s Empty Stadiums

Ali Hossam
Accounting Senior

On April 2, 2011, Zamalek fans invaded the Cairo International Stadium’s football pitch during their team’s game with Tunisian Club African.

The incident marked one of the worst cases of insecurity and chaos in Egypt’s modern sports history.

This was followed by the tragic massacre that took place on February 1, 2012 in the city of Port Said when 74 Ahly fans were murdered right after the game against Al Masry was over.

Since then, fans have been continuously banned from attending live fixtures and supporting their favorite teams.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and the Ministry of Interior (MOI) are the only two entities that have the authority to decide whether fans can be banned from attending matches or not.

After the violent conflict that took place between police forces and members of “Ultras Ahlawy”, it’s safe to assume that fans won’t be visiting the stadiums anytime soon.

With speculation rising from many angry fans, the questions still remain. When will; not only the football industry but the entire sports industry, go back to its normal and known path? Who should be blamed for this? The ultras? The government? The police?

Although all problems are acknowledged, no one is answering the questions the angry fans are asking, and no one is accepting the blame for the paralyzed state the Egyptian sports sector is in.

The government is blaming the ultras, the fans are blaming the EFA, and the EFA is just doing nothing but accepting what the government decides. No solid action is being taken and to this moment the stadiums are still empty.

One of football’s most important elements is the fans. The fans are the catalyst of any successful team and the motivation for every team to reach success.

Many football managers like Ahmed Hossam “Mido,” who is Zamalek Sporting Club’s coach, was frustrated for having to play a match in Cairo without the fans in attendance despite any official ban from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

However, for security reasons, the MOI didn’t allow the fans to attend, which led to more violent conflicts.

Those stadiums are so empty, that viewers can hear the voices of the players on the pitches through television. Those empty stadiums have to be filled to fund the sports industry in Egypt.

Companies and television industries will not sponsor a league without fans; since no funding is entering the cabinets of the EFA or any Egyptian sporting club, a lot of other sports are subsequently affected due to the fact that money from football is what gives those other sports a significant amount of funds.

As a result, this weakens the skills and performances the players of those sports can obtain, potentially weakening all Egyptian national teams.

The reason I chose to write this is not to focus on a team’s performance or what the results of matches turned out to be. I wanted to show my opinion on how I believe the return of the fans to the stadiums would benefit the country both economically and socially.

Filling the stadiums will contain the rage of so many angry fans and will help fund the Egyptian sports industry that has reached the lowest levels of performance the country has ever witnessed.