By Mohamad

The following piece was written prior to the final game between Egypt and Algeria, in which Algeria came out as victorious. It was written by a Montreal-based activist and writer.

It seems there’s so much in common between Algeria and Egypt: they’re both Arab, predominantly Muslim countries; they both have a history of colonization and, as we’ve witnessed over this past month, they’re both extremely passionate about their football. In fact, after a much heated contest and violent vitriol between the two sides, they are now tied at the top of their World Cup qualifying group with the same points, wins, losses, draws, goals scored and conceded.

However, that’s not the only thing these two countries share these days. Today with the publication of the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ‘measures the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 180 countries and territories around the world’, we’re tied once again; we’re both ranked at 111 (the lower the ranking the more corrupt the country is measured to be). Not so exact, but close, is our GDP per capita ranking (Algeria at 96, and Egypt at 101), our Human Development Index (HDI) ranking (Algeria at 104, and Egypt at 123), our illiteracy rate (Egypt at 28.6%, and Algeria at 30.1%), our Human Poverty Index ranking (Algeria at 100, and Egypt at 116), our Democracy Index ranking according to the Economist (Egypt at 119, and Algeria at 133), and our Press Freedom Index ranking according to Reporters without Borders (Algeria at 141, and Egypt at 143).

It’s surprising then, to say the least, that enthusiasts in both countries have taken this match to unparalleled heights. The violence and war of words that preceded and followed the match is deplorable. If an outsider were to get a glimpse into each country’s media these days, their guess would be that both nations had declared a state of war. Each side naturally blames the other for this escalation, but the fact is that there is a larger issue that begs to be resolved.

How is it that two nations faced with such daunting challenges have shown more enthusiasm towards this single goal than any other goal of the many that should be preoccupying them? The unfortunate answer is that most of us, while we may protest and claim otherwise, do not have any larger national goals in mind. More specifically, we may wish that all the problems afflicting our countries would disappear, but we neither see the path nor are willing to put the effort needed to achieve any grander ambitions. If any of the over fifty thousand Egyptians in Cairo’s International Stadium, who in a unique display prior to the game joined together in a single call to God asking him to grant them victory in the game, were asked “Would you rather see your country resolve some of its problems than win the game?” they would probably answer “Yes”. But the reason the same number would probably not join collectively in that prayer is that they do not believe that it is possible, while making it to the World Cup is a simple enough goal.

Our lack of ambition and skewing of priorities is the real tragedy in this saga. Last week, the world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In that same November of 1989, Egypt beat Algeria to make it to the 1990 World Cup. Twenty years later we witness a Europe where Berlin and Germany are united, communism has fallen, and Europe is as united as ever. Twenty years later we see Egypt and Algeria struggling for the same goal: making it to the World Cup. As an Egyptian, I will be rooting tomorrow for my national team to make it to the World Cup, while maintaining the utmost respect and humility towards my Algerian brethren. This is no different than how as a Canadian I will be rooting for my national team in the upcoming Vancouver Olympics, while harboring the strongest feelings of respect to all other teams. More importantly however, I will take all of this simply for the sport that it is, and try to keep my eye on the ball and our true priorities.

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