By far the most popular sport on the planet, football holds a special place in the Middle East. With a long and rich history in the region, it also remains the only cultural component capable of uniting families, cities and nations.
Communities of supporters have sometimes worked at the forefront of popular revolts, sometimes been exploited by autocrats for the benefit of their regime. Football is invoked in diplomatic relations, in times of war as in times of peace. The history of football in the Middle East is that of the entire region, and that of the destiny of its peoples.
Iraq, a victory in tragedy
In 2007, when the Asian Nations Cup was being prepared, the Iraqi selection was in a sorry state: since the invasion of Iraq by the United States, carried out after more than ten years of economic sanctions which had weakened Baghdad, the country no longer has the means to nurture serious footballing ambitions. To protect themselves from the ravages of military occupation and religious violence, the team must train in Jordan. On the eve of his first group match, his physio, on his way to join the competition, dies in Baghdad in a car bomb attack.
Against all expectations, Iraq will end up brandishing the Asian Cup in Jakarta after a narrowly won 1-0 final against Saudi Arabia. A victory, however, overshadowed by events in the country: 50 Iraqi fans had just died in a series of attacks, while celebrating their team’s victory in the semi-final against South Korea.
The media widely praised the prowess of the Iraqis in the dramatic context they were experiencing, celebrating the unity of a team “transcending religious divides” et “the sovereign power of sport”.
The ultras of the Egyptian “Arab Spring”
Three years later, in 2010, FIFA, the governing body of world football, announced the awarding of the organization of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. The news is greeted with a mixture of joy and disbelief: Qatar would be the smallest host country in the history of the World Cup, and the first in the Middle East. Driven by its gas wealth, the emirate has asserted its candidacy by presenting itself as a flagship of new technologies.
A few months later, a wave of popular revolts rocked the Middle East and North Africa. One after another, the region’s authoritarian regimes are swaying, threatened with being replaced by more representative systems, and the media are scrutinizing the various social movements mobilizing against entrenched dictatorships.
In Egypt, where monster demonstrations will put an end to thirty years of reign of Hosni Mubarak, the ultras play a key role in the defense of opponents against state violence. With a long history, some groups of fervent supporters, such as the Ultras Al-Ahlawy (of Al-Ahly SC, the Cairo club), are well placed to know