IN THE SPOTLIGHT OmAR GABER MARWAN MOHSEN EGYPT’S MOHAMED ELNENY RISING OLYMPIC FOOTBALL STARS What happens when three young Egyptian footballers go to the Olympic Games? When they hit the big time? When they stand in the world’s spotlight? We have no idea. Neither do the footballers. eniGma sent stylist Maissa Azab to give them a taste of what’s in store. Contributor James Purtill witnessed the results… ART DIRECTION & STYLING PHOTOGRAPHY Maissa Azab Khaled Fadda Marwan Mohsen: Trousers by Dior; Blazer & Tie by Dolce & Gabbana all available at Beymen Omar Gaber: Blazer & shirt by Neil Barrett; Tie by Dolce & Gabbana; Trousers by Emporio Armani all available at Beymen Mohamed Elneny: Suit, shirt & tie by Dolce & Gabbana; belt by Gucci all available at Beymen Euro 2012 ball available at adidas ohamed Nasr Elneny, Omar Gaber and Marwan Mohsen stand in front of a mirror in the photographer’s studio. They’re footballers, all un- der 23, and about to hit the big time. By the time you read this, they will be at the London 2012 Olym- pic Games. For the first time in 20 years, Egypt has qualified a team. Cue the publicity machine. Cue the photographer’s studio, the stylists, and the interviews-on-couch- es. Representatives from Vodafone, the main sponsor of the Olympic football team, are on hand to steer the players through Mthese hoops. They’re used to this, as Vodafone has been one of the main sponsors of the game since the telecom company launched in Egypt in 1998. They’re ready for the big-time. Or maybe not. Maybe the big-time will flare and suddenly darken, like those studio lights flashing and blinking in sync around them. Because it’s all on the line, it’s all up in the air: “I’m after a good offer from a European club. Anything in Spain. I like Barcelona FC,” says Elneny. “I want to play in Spain or England,” says Gaber. Mohsen expresses an interest in playing in, ahem, England, or else, cough, Barcelona. After all, the Olympic Games cut two ways. For all the soaring rhetoric about international fraternity and human nobility, it’s also a job interview. These three play for Egyptian clubs, meaning that, aside from the odd international match, they have been out The players hide their anxiety in different ways. Elneny hams it up, pretending to preen his hair. Gaber, a right back, cracks jokes about the other players. And Fahmy just looks morose of the loop, off the radar, languishing in the boondocks of interna- tional football. Now for the Games’ three group matches, and for more if they make it to the next round, they will be playing under the noses of the European scouting agents. Playing for their lives. Every now and then, Islam Saeed, Sports Sponsorhip Senior Team Leader at Vodafone walks into the studio as the players get their pho- tos taken. Saeed jokes with them; they are comfortable with him. He wants them to look good and relax. That is what Vodafone’s involve- ment is all about – bringing out the best in the players and the team. For them sports “is not just a game, it’s an investment.” And that is what CEO Hatem Dowidar is adamant about pursuing, “we are proud the first sponsorship contract in the history of Egyptian football was signed with Vodafone at the time when the brand name was still ‘Click’.” Since then Vodafone has partnered with the National team, the Football Premier League, Al Ahly and 11 other teams from different federations, “Vodafone’s 10-year part- nership with Al Ahly Club has witnessed the golden age for the Red Castle, and we are optimistic that Vodafone’s spon- sorships of the National Football teams will also witness more victories for Egypt.” Marwan Mohsen: T-shirt by Dior available at Beymen The first Olympic football match for Egypt is against Brazil. Last Mohamed Elneny: Sweatshirt by Gucci available at Beymen www.enigma-mag.com 31 time the two teams played, Gaber scored. If he can do that again ympic qualifiers. He was still just 19 years old. – cha-ching – he might as well cancel the return flight. Mohsen, Gaber says, will one day be Egypt’s best striker. If the 23-year-old The social-political unrest of November 2011 saw can prove this is so – nail a bicycle kick, a 30-yard strike, a diving the Egyptian team’s qualification games moved to header – well, he will have it made. And if the players manage to Morocco, so they lost any home-ground advantage. sign contracts with international clubs, that will mean better facilities, It was a huge blow. But the team triumphed, com- coaches and training-mates. Success is self-fulfilling. ing third in the qualifiers and booking their place at London 2012. That night in Marrakesh, Gaber And that’s the drama of the Games: fate riding on the spin of a ball or reflects, there was a lot of celebrating. What kind of a chance back-heel. No wonder the three players look a bit uncom- celebrating? Just celebrating, he says, squirming. fortable in the spotlight. They hide the anxiety in different ways. Singing and dancing, he allows. Elneny, a defender-midfielder, hams it up, pretending to preen his hair. Gaber, a right back, cracks jokes about Fame, says Gaber, is not a good the other players. And Mohsen just looks morose: thing. What will he do if he be- the big man, three years older than the other two, comes famous? “Stay in my sticks out his jaw and endures the stylist’s patter- house.” ing. She adds a silk scarf that makes him look like the Godfather, Don Corleone. Then she pauses. All the more reason, then, to Inspects. Decides otherwise. Mohsen blinks. The become famous and buy a big scarf, the jacket, the trousers still dangle the shop- old mansion house. But no, labels. The shoulder pads show the white meas- the players say, they intend to uring stitches. In fact, the only items that aren’t stay modest. “We are deter- brand new and provisional are the football mined,” says Elneny. “We boots. want to bring the people in Egypt good news. We want And the only time the three relax is when to help people feel a bit bet- they’re given a ball. You get the feeling it ter.” has been this way for some time. Their modesty is scrupu- lous, coordinated, and perhaps a little offside. Because fame, as is well “We are determined; known, does strange things to a man. The we want to bring studio lights beep and flash. The studio dark- the people in Egypt ens for a beat, then brightens. The players good news. We want are still standing there, unmoved, seemingly in- to help people feel a destructible, and it’s like a scene from a sci-fi movie; bit better” the one where they engineer soldiers in the Mohamed Elneny lab. These pristine athletic specimens, welded into football boots and tuxedos. Young Olym- Elneny was the youngest player to ever join Al Ahly club. pians. The behind-the-scenes video team in He was five. His father, a coach for the local Mahalla the studio circles like nurses, swaddling them team, had already decided his son would play for in publicity. The video will soon be uploaded on the great Cairo team. One day he drove Elneny YouTube, and tweeted, linked, shared and liked. from Alexandria to play in a seven-year-olds practice game. “I played for 10 minutes,” says ‘Power to you’- is Vodafone’s slogan, Tarek Hos- Elneny, “then the coach stopped the game. He ny, Head of Brand Department at Vodafone ex- came down and hugged me. He said, ‘we have plains, this slogan is about empowering Egyptians to sign him now’. Management said, ‘There’s to achieve their dreams and football is just one no contract. He’s too young.’” So three times a area in which Vodafone tries to do that. “Having week the young Elneny made the trip to the acad- helped the Olympic team to get to London, it’s emy’s manicured pitches in Nasr City. They signed in the hands – well feet – of the athletes now to him on his seventh birthday. He played for Al Ahly for make us proud,” he says. “However, our journey 11 years and was made captain of the youth team. Yet continues with the EFA sponsorship. We will do soon things would change. everything we can to make sure that the dream of reaching the World Cup (Brazil 2014) is achievable “My dad had always told everyone that his son plays for Al through the efforts of our skilled athletes with the Ahly. But one day I was sold to Mokawoloun Al Arab club. I support of Vodafone.” couldn’t tell him for two days. When I did, I said, ‘Dad, I’m going to make you proud, it’s going to be for the best.’” But ah, what are the dreams that lurk in the players’ hearts today? What do they want, when they can have In just one year Elneny was playing in the regular seniors’ team. Next it all? “We want a medal,” Elneny says. “And to play he was picked for the junior national team, where he played in the for Barcelona.” And for the moment, it really is just African Cup. Then the youth World Cup. Then it was time for the Ol- that simple.