has much to add to our current understanding of understanding current our to add to much has East, Middle the of rest the and Egypt in mance perfor - cultural of form popular most the guably ar- particular, in football and sports, of study “The whores. as them denounced Islamists militant where Nablus, and Hebron cities, conservative most two ritories’ Women’s Soccer World Champion visiting Japan in the Ter 2011, - in playing, in Palestinian team the soccer women’s of defiance the by sparked Bank theWest on revolution social the witness nificant; sig- is sports of impact trans-regional revolutionary the Similarly, security. their enhance to community international the in levels multiple at themselves bed em- to power soft employ and influence economic as global sport hubs to heighten their diplomatic and Turkeyand Bahrain ates, themselves positioning are Emir- Arab United the Qatar, like Countries Africa. North and East Middle the in true particularly is This are, aswellwhotheythinkothersare. ple – players, managers and fans – define who they practice. cultural Through their everyday global involvement in soccer, peo- most world’s the – cer soc- in than evident more nowhere is nexus this of ciety, culture,politicsanddevelopment.Thepower complete without a focus on the nexus of sport, so- is society modern of history or analysis study, No Würzburg Co-Director, InstituteofFan Culture, Universityof Studies, Nanyang Technological University Senior Fellow, S. RajaratnamSchool ofInternational Dorsey James M. in MENACountries Soccer andPolitical Protests Strategic Sectors|Culture&Society 1 p. 359-361,2009.
L opez , Shaun. “On Race, Sports and Identity: Picking Up the Ball in Middle East Studies.”East Middle in Ball the Up Picking Identity: and Sports Race, “On Shaun. , scholars to include sports in their research. their in sports include to scholars East Middle of failure the lamenting 2009 in cle arti- journal a in Lopez Shaun historian gion,”said re- the of history cultural and political social, the e-aracim s otd n h nto o the of notion the in rooted of is concept neo-patriarchism Sharabi’s ways, many In society. of levels different at authority his franchises who ure in Sharabi fig- father a as himself projects autocrat the which Hisham scholar estinian-American Pal- of concept the is rights, gender and religious freedom, social justice, dignity and national, ethnic, greater for battlefield a as role prominent pitch’s theas well as autocrats, Eastern Middle to soccer of importance the of understanding an to Central fo- cused onaspecificcountryorterritory. scholars of number small a by research ited and East lim- very only of subject the been Middle has Africa North the aspects, regional various scholars and authors have addressed soccer in its of number significant a where Asia, and Europe Unlike other regions, such as Latin America, Africa, Autocratic Fathers immigrant communities. shapes it that teams formed pervasive by Middle Eastern and North African so is soccer region’s countries,” African North Lopez wrote. In fact, the influence of politics on and the Eastern Middle most in identity national of formation the athletics in plays role central other the or and region the football in sports of importance seminal “the given stunning more the all is scholarship in gap , No. 41, No. Studies , East Middle of Journal International 1 That
IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 295 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 296 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama London: Codesria, 1991. ie lei ad Egypt and Algeria like countries soccer-crazy in protest social and tion agita- political of arenas became stadiums Soccer Arenas ofgitationandProtest children. their raise to entitled parents of lent equiva- the as leaders positioned that and century 20th early the in independence for struggle Arab mother and father of a nation that harks back to the 5 4 3 2 Mike (eds.). Football,ViolenceandSocialIdentity . AbingdonOX: Routledge,1991. Mike (eds.). et o eitr h ha o sca dsotn. At discontent. social of heat the register to were next stadia sport “The too. neighbour- stadiums but popular hoods just not encompassed and tial, politicalandmoralissues.” existen- central its of some models society a that only reflect society or culture but is part of the way not does “football that ago decades two already P.uardo assertedRomero G. Amilcar and Archetti Ed- Scholars Islamists. militant and regimes sive repres- force-dominated security confronting fully success- of capable institution non-governmental 2010, soccer had emerged as a key non-religious, December in erupted uprisings popular Arab the time the By rights. various for struggle and tration frus- and anger pent-up release to venue a vided pro- soccer media, international the of glare the from Away Africa. of coast Atlantic the to Gulf the tive public space in a swath of land stretching from ground that rivalled Islam in the creation of alterna- battle- major only the constituted decades, three past the of much for soccer, dissent, for rod ning light- a as game beautiful the positioned tainment mass appeal and a lack of cheap alternative enter- soccer’s where Spain, Franco’s in like result, a As tian revolution. was exiled by the British, sparking the 1919 Egyp- he that year the mother country’s the was Safiyya wife His father. Egypt’s was sentiment, republican Soccer anti-monarchical, of bastion a Cairo as SC Ahly Al Club crowned of founder a and Party, Wafd nationalist the of leader the Zaghloul, Saad
A B B C rchetti esheer aron hik , Said. “The worker, the prince and the fact of life: The mirage of modernity in Algeria,”in modernity of mirage The life: in: of fact the and prince the worker, “The Said. , , Beth.Egypt asaWoman: Nationalism,GenderandPolitics. Berkley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress, 2005. (The Ultras Book). Cairo:DarDiwan,2011. , MohamedGamal.Kitabal-Ultras(TheUltrasBook). , Eduardo P. & Romero, 4 s ersin increased repression as A mil car G. “Death and Violence in Argentinian football” in: 3 2
quality oflifeitscitizens.” offers diversions other than soccer and improves the government the unless so remain to likely appears and commonplace, become has disturbance of kind ment housing recipients. The cable warned that “this the publication of a highly contentious list of govern- strations in the western port city of Oran sparked by demon- to Saada Bou of city desert the in protest soccer a linked Wikileaks by disclosed and Algiers A 2007 diplomatic cable sent by the US embassy in late 1980s. the in Algeria swept that protests of wave a of tion Islamists repressive regimesandmilitant confronting securityforce-dominated institution capableofsuccessfully non-religious, non-governmental 2010, soccerhademergedasakey uprisings eruptedinDecember By thetimeArabpopular supporters could express their grievances as long as Algerian soccer fans and security forces that football between emerged understanding tacit a result, a As civil warinSyria. the and Libya post-Gaddafi in chaos the of cause some left be- cautious become that have dead, 1990s people 100,000 the of violence the recall vividly who Algerians, many that fact the from ted excess of $186 billion. The government also benefit- which have enabled it to build up foreign reserves in revenues, gas and social oil its and of back the salaries on spending hiking by unrest the quelled government The nations toppled. been of Arab had leaders whose wave first the join would Algeria that suggested initially 2011 early in protests Mass vr fobl mth tee ee it ad youth demonstrations,” wrote Said and Chikhi riots were there match, football every G iuliano E l -K tti enz , Richard, , Ali (ed.). (ed.). Ali , B onney The Challenge of Modernity. of Challenge The , Norman & 5 in his descrip- H epworth , cratic father to an unprecedented mentality of decid- shift from subservience and acceptance of the auto- from the Atlantic coast of Africa to the Gulf: a mental stretching land of swath a in rule autocratic against revolts popular the underlying change fundamental most the be may what foreshadowed fans Soccer housing problems generation, createjobsandaddress share powerwithayounger in controlsinceindependence,to failure ofthecountry’sgerontocracy, frustration ismountingwiththe serves, however, asawarningthat violence inAlgerialate2012 An upsurgeinsoccer-related and North Africa. East Middle the in population the of majority emotion, a among Islam by evoked commitment deep-seated and passion the capture could soccer only that fact the on banked game the in ticipants par- All tool. recruitment and bonding a as soccer of employment jihadi to counterbalance a and pitch the of control for Islamists and autocrats between and fans contest cat-and-mouse political stakes high- a into soccer turned policies unpopular from improve their tarnished images and detract attention to soccer employ to leaders autocratic by Attempts Contest A High-StakesPoliticalCat-and-Mouse address housingproblems. and jobs create generation, younger a share with power to independence, since control in tocracy, geron- country’s the of failure the with mounting is frustration that warning a as however, serves, 2012 late in Algeria in violence soccer-related in upsurge An stadiums. the of confines the within so did they 7 6 en.qantara.de/wcsite.php?wc_c=20712&wc_id=22899.
W N urtsch hitaker , Ceyda. “Interview with Ezzedine Choukri Fishere: The Arab Revolution Is a Cultural Revolution.”Cultural a Is Revolution Arab The Fishere: Choukri Ezzedine with “Interview Ceyda. , , Brian.What’sReallyWrong withtheMiddleEast . London:SaqiBooks, 2009. until then. passivity and silence to them condemned had that autocrats neo-patriarchal by erected fear of barrier the through break to corruption and management mis- economic rule, repressive of yoke the of selves unique role a in helping protesters seeking played to rid them- frequently They Algeria. and Syria Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, like countries in soccer professional of suspension the of result a as square the to dium sta- the from protests their shifted ultras or fans cer Often militant, highly politicised, violence-prone soc- ic father figure but also destroy the regime he had he regime the destroy also but figure father ic cated their struggle to not only topple the compli- autocrat- failure That internalised. had they patriarchal values the off shake completely to unwilling or unable often nevertheless were spirit, olutionary a masculine God. The protesters, despite their rev- in belief a and lust female of harnessing or control life, of aspects most in superiority male of sertion as- values: soccer’s as well as patriarchy cultural society’s reinforced values Their neo-patriarchs. dition to its popularity, made it the perfect game for ad- in soccer, dominate that values patriarchal The to theirsustainability. contributed change of, fear as well as to, resistance societal result, a As society. of layer every virtually at reproduced and internalised were fear of barriers created that reflexes repressive the but credibility, and support popular lacked have may autocracies Arab freedom. for gasping societies on perimposed su- simply not were regimes Dictatorial playground. perfect the was soccer regimes, neo-patriarchal For The PerfectPlayground in uhr atvs ad rtr zeie Choukri- Fishere. Ezzedine writer and activist author, tian Egyp- unfold,”said they then and confrontation and take time and they are done through conflict, trouble things “These elders. ideological their challenging Islamists young and parents, their questioning dren chil- precepts, religious resisting liberals spectrum: social and political the across shift a is It authority. of challenging and questioning and oneself for ing 6 7 , 21 February 2013, February 21 Qantara, http://
IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 297 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama IEMed. Mediterranean Yearbook 2013 298 Strategic Sectors | Culture & Society Panorama loaded soccer brawl in the Suez Canal city of Port politicallya in died fans 74 after year a than more and Mubarak Hosni of two overthrow the after decision, years tough the face Brotherhood, lim of one Mus- ultras, ruling the after groups civic The largest Egypt’s politics. electoral to contentious street from transition the with struggling are autocrats of toppling the in roles key played elected governments and militant soccer fans who Egypt, like nations Eastern Middle post-revolt In pitch. the on encounter violent most world’s the to home Tehran,Amman, Cairo, in and derbies Riyadh in day to- evident still is that politics and soccer between East and North Africa a tradition of close association fear, militant soccer fans extended across the Middle of barriers neo-patriarchal the through breaking In Contentious StreetorElectoralPolitics? intellectual Syrian Sadik AlAzm. prominent said themselves,” revolutionaries the of decisions and habits haviour, cien regime is when it persists in the very lives, be- the an- the of persistence and the of form damaging worst most “The rule. military’s Egyptian the vember 2011 during protests No- demanding an end to in Square Tahrir the Cairo’s near in clashes example, street for manifested, as established, 8 30 November2011, http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mec/2011/12/07/arab-nationalism-islamism-and-the-arab-uprising/.
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A zm , Sadik. “Arab Nationalism, Islamism and the Arab Uprising,” lecture at the London School of Economics and Political Science, London, PoliticalScience, and Economics of School London the Uprising,”at Arab lecture the and Islamism “ArabNationalism, Sadik. , 8 mideastsoccer.blogspot.com Soccer, East Middle of WorldTurbulent The Further reading teeters onthebrinkofeconomicandpoliticalfailure. country the as flashpoints remain stadiums aresult, Egyptian As it. in confidence undermined has two years last the in protesters 200 than more the of deaths for accountable officials enforcement law hold and repression, Mubarak-era the of enforcers as role their of because institutions despised most country’s the forces, security and police reform to failure ment’s govern- the far, So goal. revolt’s successful their ing ernment’s ability to demonstrate seriousness in achiev- gov- the on dependent increasingly is decision That contentious streettoelectoralpolitics struggling withthetransitionfrom roles inthetopplingofautocratsare soccerfanswhoplayedkey militant like Egypt,electedgovernmentsand In post-revoltMiddleEasternnations of thestreet. Said, of whether and when to surrender the power http://