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Egyptian Reluctance to Restart League Is Rooted in Soccer’s Political History
Published: March 12, 2011
U.S. embassy cables leaked by Wikileaks describe how opposition leader Ayman Nour, the leader of the Kifaya movement who was jailed in an apparent effort to stop him from challenging Mubarak in presidential elections, was welcomed in 2009 at a soccer match by spectators shouting, "Down with Mubarak."
Memories of the soccer pitch becoming a venue for anti-Mubarak sentiment prompted the Mubarak backed by the military to suspend professional league matches on the eve of mass anti-government protests in late January that forced the president to resign in mid-February.
The military has since taken power in Egypt with a pledge to lead the country to democracy within six months, but has been reluctant to lift the ban on soccer matches. Its reluctance is based on the memory of the soccer pitch being an anti-Mubarak platform, the role of soccer fans in the protests that ousted the president, and the call for the resignation of pro-Mubarak soccer figures during friendly matches played since the president’s fall.
The cables also detail the use of soccer by Mubarak’s sons, Gamal, who the president was believed to be grooming as his successor, and Alaa, to shore up the regime’s image particularly by fuelling nationalist emotions after riots in the wake of crucial 2009 World Cup qualifier in which Algeria dashed Egypt’s hopes of playing in the finals in South Africa.
“Gamal expressed emotion when discussing Egyptian pride after violence following Egypt's World Cup qualifier loss to Algeria,” a cable dated Nov. 25, 2009, said.
The cable noted that...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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