Cairo (AFP) – Empty stands, scattered fans, and a state of silence unusual for the Egyptian national football team’s matches. Despite the presence of stars like Mohamed Salah and the security allowing almost full capacity, fans are absent from the “Pharaohs” home matches in a recurring phenomenon that became clear at the beginning of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
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Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria did not believe “what he saw in the Djibouti match because he was waiting for the stands to be completely filled at the start of the World Cup qualifiers,” according to the team’s director, Mohamed Khaled Gharaba, who confirmed to Agence France-Presse that “the absence of fans is causing great distress to the team’s management.” “.
Despite the strong start in the African qualifiers with two wins over Djibouti (6-0) and Sierra Leone away from home (2-0), the talk revolved more around empty stands that have become a common sight in the matches of the seven-time continental champion.
At Cairo Stadium, whose stands can accommodate more than 75,000 spectators and was known as the “Stadium of Terror,” as it was previously packed with fans hours before the national team’s matches, about five thousand fans were scattered amid a state of unusual silence for most of the match in which Salah, the star, scored. Liverpool, England, beautiful quad.
Loss of confidence
Hazem Emam, the former national team star and member of the Egyptian Federation’s Board of Directors, expressed his deep sadness at this phenomenon and told Agence France-Presse, “Any team in the world plays better when its fans support it in the stands. When I was a player, we were impatiently waiting for the national team’s matches to see 100,000 fans in the stadium.” Cairo Stadium to support their country’s national team without thinking about the clubs’ colours.”
The former Zamalek midfielder believes that the loss of confidence is the main reason behind the absence. “I believe that with the good results achieved by the Egyptian national team recently, the fans will return in the upcoming matches. I hope that we will achieve outstanding results in the African Cup of Nations (January in Ivory Coast). This will have a positive impact on attendees.”
Although league matches have witnessed limited public attendance due to security decisions for several years, this is different in international matches, as security allows fans to attend at almost full capacity in club matches in the African Champions League and Confederation Cup, as well as in official and friendly national team matches.
While the stands of Cairo Stadium were filled against Al-Ahly and Moroccan Wydad in the first leg of the Champions League final last June, or before that in the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Hilal of Sudan, the same stands seemed completely empty in all of the Egyptian national team’s recent matches, with the exception of facing Senegal last March in… The first leg of the decisive round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which Egypt failed to reach.
– “A dangerous phenomenon”-
Former national team player and current media personality Ahmed Hossam “Mido” believes that “this phenomenon is very dangerous and the national team may pay the price for it in the future.”
He added to Agence France-Presse, “In the past, we paid the price for negligence in matches against teams that we considered small, and the absence of an audience will negatively affect the team, even if the opponent was easy in theory.”
The former Dutch Ajax and English Tottenham player considered that the crisis is represented by the fans’ greater attachment to their clubs than to the national team, which is a dangerous indicator. “The fans are punishing the national team because of their clubs’ disagreements with its officials or with the Football Association. The national team is more important than everyone else, and the state of attachment that existed in the past must return.” Once again, the fans must forget the club differences and stand behind the Egyptian national team under any circumstances.”
The state of estrangement between the fans and the team extended to its friendly matches, despite their strength, against Tunisia last September, and even in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ethiopia.
“exceptional case”
Fans are currently thinking more about club matches, according to the former leader of the Fans Association, Mohamed Refaat, known as “Reo,” noting that the absence of fans, which extended for more than ten years, led to the creation of a new generation that is not interested in attending matches.
Rayo adds, “In the past, the national team’s matches were a feast for the fans. But the long absence and crises surrounding the national team reduced their connection and created a new generation that was not interested in attending.”
But Gamal Hamdoun, one of the most famous fans in Egypt, believes that the matter is nothing more than an exceptional case that will pass soon. “In the last Nations Cup, we saw fans traveling from Egypt to Cameroon to attend the matches and return on the same day. As the matches continue and the dream of reaching the 2026 World Cup approaches, I believe that the stands will be filled.” Once again, the Egyptian public will not be late for the Pharaohs when they need their presence in the stands.”
Team director Mohamed Gharaba concludes optimistically, “We certainly want the fans to return in the upcoming matches because they are an indispensable factor of strength. We hope that they will return to support the team in large numbers.”
© 2023 AFP
2023-12-04 09:35:08
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