Egypt is out...

Egypt just played its final two qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup on Nov. 14th and Nov. 18th, both against Algeria.

These games were a HUGE deal for the entire country, and everything went on hold from 7:30-9:30 pm both nights because everyone was watching the games.

The first game, I went with Izzy to watch the game at the apartment of her counselor, who has two daughters around our age. A projector and big screen had been set up outside in the parking area, and a bunch of people had gathered around and sat on chairs and cars to watch the game. Some of the other NSLI-Y students and I had tried to get tickets to the game, but the Egyptian who tried to buy them for us the morning they went on sale, returned with scratches on his arm...apparently, 25,000 people had showed up at the sporting club he went to, and only 8,000 tickets were available there, so I'm sure it was NOT a civil, orderly process.

Starting late morning/early afternoon, cars kept driving by our apartment, honking, and I could hear people yelling "Masr" ("Egypt") cheers, and flags soon appeared all over people's balconies and cars. Men had been selling them along the street for 2-3 days before the games, so it seemed like everyone had an Egyptian flag. picture: our 'outfits' for the 1st game)

I painted Egyptian flags on both my cheeks before the game, and practically everyone was wearing red and black (the flag colors are red, black, and white)...and then we waited expectantly until kick-off.

The US Embassy had actually sent out an email warning about the game and advising that people stay away from the stadium and away from Nasr City (where the stadium is located), because they said it probably wouldn't be safe. I think that was a little bit extreme, but the atmosphere definitely was electric.

The game...

Egypt had to win on Nov. 14th at least 2-0 to even have a hope of qualifying for the World Cup. If they won 2-0, they would have to play Algeria again on Nov. 18th (which is what happened), and the winner of the Nov. 18th game would go to the World Cup. If Egypt won 3-0, then they would automatically qualify, but if they lost, tied, or only won 1-0, then they would be out. So there was a lot at stake the first game, and it was even magnified by the fact that Egypt and Algeria are really big rivals, and many people told me that Algeria's media had been trash-talking Egypt.

Egypt ended up scoring the first five minutes and the last five minutes, so it was pretty exciting. There were six minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game, and I thought the game was over when only a few minutes were left, and I could tell that nearly everyone else had given up on them, too. So when they scored that last minute goal, everyone jumped up and screamed and danced and hugged each other - i.e. only with the same gender - and then continued the party for the rest of the night! (picture: after Egypt scored their 1st goal)

First, there were fireworks, firecrackers, and sparklers going off everyone, and some people were even throwing them from their apartment windows, so it was a bit dangerous to be below. Then, everyone went to the streets!

There were men, women, and children in the streets, but it was mainly the men who were doing all the dancing, singing, beating of drums, and other crazy things. Some were doing these cult-like dances around Egyptian flags; others had Raid/Pyrosol cans and were spraying them onto a flame from a lighter to make these fire columns; and there were many others who were just driving by in their cars with their windows down and waving flags. People were congregating under bridges and in tunnels, and were jumping, clapping, cheering, and beating drums.

It was crazy to think that if the game had ended one minute earlier, and the final score had been 1-0, then none of this would have happened...all these millions of people would not have taken to the streets.

I don't know how long the party lasted, but I wouldn't hesitate to say that it lasted until morning, until everyone had to go back to work and school. (picture: the two daughters of Izzy's counselor, Izzy, and me, after the game)

The second game was played in Sudan, so there wasn't even a possibility of getting tickets for that one, but everyone was still glued to the TV that night. I watched that game at a cafe with my host family. We watched the first 30 minutes at home because we were running late, and then rushed to the cafe. There wasn't even any traffic, which is abnormal for Cairo, because literally everyone was watching the game.

Algeria ended up scoring the only goal of the game while we were in the car, but the cafe was completely packed - mostly with people in their 20s and 30s. A lot of people were smoking cigarettes or shisha, but everyone watched the game attentively until the very end. (picture: inside the cafe, watching one of the 5 TVs)

This time, there was no mass migration to the streets, except to go back home. People folded up their flags, put their Pyrosol cans away, and left in a bad mood. I never saw anyone respond violently, although I did hear that there was some sort of demonstration at the Algeria Embassy in Cairo on Nov. 20th for some reason.

Although I wish Egypt had won the game, it was really interesting to see the opposite reactions in these games, and again, it's still hard for me to believe how deeply these games affect the ENTIRE country. I do not think anything sports-related in the US can compare to this. And unfortunately, Egypt will not be in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

This Friday is a Muslim holiday, and on Sunday I'm supposed to leave on an 4-day, 3-night AFS trip to Dahab in Sinai, so I'm really looking forward to that! Otherwise, my language classes and volunteer work are still going well, and the weather is cooling down, which is definitely nice.

Happy Thanksgiving, too. I will especially miss the cranberry sauce and pumpkin bread, and of course, our family time, so I'll be thinking of you all!