Saturday, February 04, 2012

A football tragedy

Besides the human loss, it is sad that the attention of the world on African football during a great tournament as the African Cup of Nations, is drawn away by the game, to the catastrophe that happened in Egypt.
I am certain that this is not what Egypt is about, with its great people and fans, and it is not what African football is about.
There seem to be many theories about what happened at the match between Al Masry and Al Ahly, and with the political turmoil that Egypt has been undergoing, this tragedy can only feed into the tension. It may be "only" a game (it is!), but in a real world where passions are at least as much a part of politics and society as anything else, football is a very important part of society. This is not new; football has been part of society since football was born, and been used by violent thugs as excuses for their destruction.
But football also unites, and as football fans, we must show our solidarity with the fans and football of Egypt.
Peace.

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