Thursday, November 24, 2011
Hürriyet Daily News
Egyptian demonstrators determined to unseat the country’s military rulers
have found a battle-ready ally, ultras from the country’s biggest football
clubs
It was mid-afternoon on Saturday, the
second day of mass protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demand
an end to military rule, when a cry went out for help from the
ultras, Egypt’s militant, violence-prone, highly politicized football
fans. Under attack by security forces, protesters, unwilling to back
down, were looking at what amounts to the Egyptian revolt’s
shock troops for protection.
“We initially stayed away when the families of the people killed
“We initially stayed away when the families of the people killed
during the uprising went back out to Tahrir. The police violence
changed our minds. We experienced it first-hand before. We have
zero tolerance for it,” said Abu Ala, a member of Ultras Ahlawy,
fans of one of two of Cairo’s biggest clubs, Al Ahly SC.
Abu Ala and members of his arch enemy, Ultras White Knights
Abu Ala and members of his arch enemy, Ultras White Knights
(UWK), supporters of Al Ahly’s historic rival, Al Zamalek SC,
reached Tahrir by late afternoon. It was the second time in the
more than a century-old history of the two clubs that their
supporters joined forces rather than faced off in violent street
brawls to face a common enemy: first the autocratic regime of
President Hosni Mubarak whom they helped topple early this year
and this week to push for an end to military rule.
“The Central Security Forces had run the protesters out of Tahrir
“The Central Security Forces had run the protesters out of Tahrir
Square,” recalls Hassan Sharif, a protester who has been in Tahrir since
the protests erupted a week ago. “Security forces had occupied the
roundabout. The Ultras White Knights charged from the museum,
yelling the chant about how they’ll f*ck the CSF up.”
Within an hour, the security forces had pulled back, only to return on
Within an hour, the security forces had pulled back, only to return on
Sunday backed by military police who briefly retook the Square. The
battle has been raging since.
Led by ultras – angry young men with no political affiliations and
Led by ultras – angry young men with no political affiliations and
warrior-like zeal – armed with rocks and Molotov cocktails, they have
been battling security forces for almost a week now in the streets around
Tahrir as they fight amid the wail of ambulances and the roar of armored
vehicles, so far unsuccessfully, to make their way to the Interior Ministry,
home to the hated security forces. “A red line has been crossed, there is no
turning back. It doesn’t matter what price we pay in lives. We are not
giving in,” vowed one ultra while speaking on a mobile phone, the sound
of a street battle punctuating his words
Unlike other groups in Tahrir, the ultras are respected and celebrated
by the protesters and feared by the security forces. Modeled on groups
in Italy and Serbia, the ultras – self-defined anarchists whose militant
support for their clubs is expressed with chanting, jumping up and
down, fireworks, flares and smoke guns – the ultras were early this year
(and now again) the only group in Tahrir with years of street-battle
experience garnered in weekly battles in the stadiums with security
forces and the supporters of their rivals.
Their fearlessness, willingness to put their lives on the line and battle
tactics gave protesters a sense of power and the courage to stand their
man alongside the ultras.
Beyond the more than 30 people already killed in the last week and
the more than 1,500 wounded, football may be another victim of
the battle for Egypt’s future. Like in January when Egypt’s premier
league was suspended for three months to prevent the pitch from
becoming an opposition rallying point, the Egyptian Football
Association (EFA) is considering cancelling the kick-off of
next month’s season. “What is happening now in Egypt is
spoiling our football,” said EFA President Samir Zaher, a
Mubarak-era appointee whose resignation the ultras have been
demanding for months.
That is a price the ultras were willing to pay early this year and are
happy to pay again. “The blood of the martyrs won’t be for free,”
chanted Nader el-Sayed, a former Egypt goalkeeper, the only player
to have joined protesters early this year. He is now back in Tahrir Square.
BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN
Al Ahly and Zamalek are two sides of Egypt’s most heated football
rivalry, one of the fiercest in the world.
The teams are the most successful in Egypt, with the clubs having won
47 of the 55 seasons in the Premier League. Al Ahly is dominant with
36 titles as opposed to Zamalek’s 11.
Fan violence is a regular part of that rivalry, while matches between
Fan violence is a regular part of that rivalry, while matches between
the two sides can be so controversial that the Egyptian Football
Federation usually hires a foreign referee to officiate the game.
Like many football rivalries, the divide between the opposing sides has
its roots in social life. Zamalek are seen as aristocrats of the domestic
gameand a team of “foreigners,” while Al Ahly, which translates as
“The National,” is usually seen as the team of the common Egyptian.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment