Egypt’s football ultra culture is what made many fall in love with Egyptian football and put it on the world stage. But seven years after the Port Said Tragedy, which left 72 dead, empty stadiums characterize the Egyptian Premier League. Like many Egyptian football fans, KingFut’s Ahmed Khalil has lost interest in the league for the lack of fan atmosphere.
“Football is nothing without fans.” This quote from Scottish manager Jock Stein could not have been more true, as the Egyptian Premier League has grown in unpopularity since fans were first prevented from attending matches. Stein continued, saying: “It could be the greatest game in the world but if there are no people there to watch it, it becomes nothing. The fans are the lifeblood of the game.”
In the case of the Egyptian league, the quality of the league is arguably not even the best in Africa, so it’s a big ask for fans to follow a league that they are not allowed to support in person.
Nearly a decade after Port Said, Egyptian football still hasn’t got back on its feet. When the authorities tried to let a large numbers of supporters back into the stadium for a Zamalek game in February 2015, more than twice as many fans showed up than the 10,000 they had planned for.
That evening ended in another catastrophe, unfortunately. When security started firing tear gas at the fans, rioting broke out at the entrances and 22 people lost their lives.
Since Port Said, the government experimented with allowing fans once, and it failed miserably. The government is able to argue that when fans are allowed, violence occurs and fans are lost: it’s a death sentence to allow fans into stadiums.
While this might be true, there is another reason for the authorities to prevent fans from attending. What angers them more than fans dying is the anti-government chants that were known to come from the ultras during and after the revolution. In an authoritarian regime, one of the main goals is to suppress any potential political uprising. So while the government might claim to be acting in the safety of the fans, they really want to prevent any anti-government chants or protests from the crowd.
Another issue is Egypt’s perception across the world. The government narrative that life in Egypt is stable and back to normal cannot be believed if fans are not allowed in stadiums, especially in a country like Egypt where football is the main way for people to express and enjoy themselves. Would tourists want to go to a country where the people can’t even be trusted to watch a football match in peace?
Last autumn, the ban was relaxed with small contingents of fans allowed in the stadiums. They allowed 5,000 supporters to purchase tickets for the match between Zamalek and ENPPI. Tickets could only be purchased in advance and under strict conditions, but those who did manage to get in cheered enthusiastically throughout the match in hope to revive the Egyptian League.
At the recent Africa Cup of Nations, there was a less open approach around the stadiums. Supporters were required to obtain a Fan ID before purchasing a ticket, a step up from already tight measures filtering fans who wanted to watch domestic matches since the stands were reopened last year.
This is something that logistically has never existed in the history of Egyptian audiences and stadiums. The Fan ID requirement allowed the Egyptian authorities to sift out anyone they believe might say or do anything political in the stands.
Many Egyptians suggested the idea on maintaining the Fan ID requirement which would bring a huge ray of sunshine to the Egyptian nation and heavily help resuscitate the Egyptian Premier League.
Despite the absence of fans over the past seven years, the usual heated rivalry between Egypt’s traditional powers Al Ahly and Zamalek has grown on social media platforms, with both sides’ fans trading insults throughout the season. However, the ultra groups of both Al Ahly and Zamalek (which were founded in 2007) were dissolved in 2018 due to the political situation.
Read: Ultras White Knights group announce dissolution
For Egypt’s politicians, dealing with football supporters is perhaps one of the most important and sensitive issues in shaping the country’s future. There is no other organization that can come close to having as high of an impact, including economically as Al Ahly’s ultras.
Security proved they can handle big crowds at AFCON, but following the tournament, the EFA still remain on only allowing a small portion of fans in the stadiums.
Recently, the Cairo derby was postponed by the EFA for an undisclosed date, per the request of the country’s security officials, and more specifically, Zamalek president Mortada Mansour.
The decision angered Al Ahly officials as they refused to reschedule the game, starting a spat between Al Ahly and Zamalek chairmen.
READ: Al Ahly threaten to not play any league matches before facing Zamalek first
There is tension around the security issue because of the role previously played by ultras groups in Egypt. But the ban goes against the CAF’s wishes to have stadiums filled to the brim.
Egypt has lifted some restrictions imposed on fans. But some remain in place, including a ban on ultras attending matches.
This results in Egypt being stripped of its greatest arsenal, the vociferous and terrifying ultras who notoriously sent shivers down the spine of their opponents before the ball would even be kicked.
Football used to be much better years ago for supporters than what we’re seeing now.
How can the EFA find ways to resolve this situation?
