Tag Archives: Arab Cup

The politics of the football terrace

Young members of the Verde Corazon ultra during a match of their club RCR, Relizane, Algeria, 2016.
“I remember February 22, 2019, with vivid clarity—the day the Hirak anti-government movement erupted in Algeria. There was a collective intuition among Algerians that something was brewing. It was a Friday, a day that naturally lends itself to protest across North Africa as people get together to carry out weekly prayers. More importantly, in the weeks leading up to that day, scattered protests began to pop up across the country. Tensions were high over the news that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika—then 81 years old and visibly debilitated by multiple strokes—intended to run for a fifth consecutive term. Describing the atmosphere in Algiers as ‘tense’ on that morning of February 22 is too simple. It doesn’t account for the accompanying tangible feelings of hope and fear in the air. In a country where formal political expression is tightly circumscribed, moments like these—when people reclaim public space en masse—become more than just protest. …”
Africa Is a Country

Matthias Jaissle, the Rangnick disciple coaching in Saudi Arabia: ‘I wanted the challenge’


Matthias Jaissle has led Al Ahli to Asian Champions League glory 
“When the full-time whistle blew at the Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Matthias Jaissle was wild-eyed. It was May last year, and his Al Ahli side had just beaten Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in the AFC Champions League final, becoming Asian champions for the first time in their history. Looking distinctly German in his polo-neck shirt and flushed by the heat, Jaissle pumped his fists and roared, as backroom staff and players scattered in celebration. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

For 2 Hours, a Soccer Match Offers Palestinians a Rarity: Joy


Members of Saudi Arabia and Palestine’s national teams playing in the quarterfinals of the Arab Cup. It was the first time the Palestinian team had made it that far in the tournament.
“The Palestinians needed a win. Not on the battlefield, or at the United Nations, or in The Hague — but on the soccer field. For the first time, the Palestinian national soccer team had made it into the quarterfinals of the Arab Cup, a regional tournament dating back to 1963. And on Thursday night, in packed cafes in Cairo, restaurants in Ramallah in the West Bank, hookah bars in Arab towns in Israel and even tents in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, Palestinians were out together, riding the emotional roller coaster of watching their team fight for its survival against an opponent with a much stronger record. For many watching the game, the parallels with other struggles were inescapable. … In Gaza, nearly 50 men, teenagers and boys made their way through a stormy night and muddy, flooded streets to a makeshift cafe in a tent on the outskirts of Khan Younis, where a technician worked frantically to get the game’s livestream playing on a big TV powered by solar panels and batteries, and the cafe’s owner fed cardboard boxes and paper scraps into a fire to make hot drinks and heat the room. …”
NY Times (Video)

Outside the cafe west of Khan Younis, watching the Palestinian match with Saudi Arabia. A victory didn’t seem out of reach.