Feeble excuses for Egypt's football riots

Don't point the finger at deeper ills. The violence in Cairo was just thuggery cynically fomented by President Mubarak

Joseph Mayton
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 November 2009

"....Reports that Egyptians were venting their anger over years of government neglect, corruption and poor living conditions are somewhat right. Egyptians may have plenty of reasons to be depressed, angry or frustrated but to blame that for the violence last week, which saw dozens of large police trucks roll into Cairo's posh Zamalek neighbourhood, would be taking the easy way out.

The real answer is that Egyptians have had little to cheer about in recent years.....The loss left a nation wounded, unable to deal with the fact that even on the football pitch, they cannot achieve success....

Actors and other "stars" of Egyptian society went on national television detailing attacks against Egyptians by Algerians. This is what the government wanted: to whip up fear and anger over football. And the media helped them out, with headlines such as "Algerian terrorism" following the loss, and reports of violence in Sudan.

The result was a preoccupation with football and raw nationalism rarely seen in the country. Mubarak and the ruling party took the opportunity to enrage a segment of society that has long been excluded from any political or social advancement. It was a chance to create anger against the "other" (in this case, Algerians) for what may or may not have occurred.

The false sense of nationalism created in the wake of the defeat.....

As the riots raged, the Egyptian leadership were most likely sitting in their villas smiling, knowing that for now, the Algerian conundrum would occupy the people, take their minds away from the real issues at hand and create weeks of "diplomatic" tension with Algeria....."