Egypt in party mode

Egypt is in party mode - on Thursday night the Egyptian soccer time beat Italy - the World Cup Champions as Egyptians now constantly remind you - 1-0. I didn't watch the match but from my hotel room on the 7th floor I could hear the collective ooohs, aaahs, sighs of relief, screams of joy and polite clapping through out the match. When the goal was scored, one of the older guys who works at the hostel and whom I have never seen walk at more than a snails pace was running laps around the hostel shouting Allahu akbar, allahu akbar (God is great, God is great) When the match finally finished and the tension all of Egypt was feeling could finally be released, the streets were filled with noise horn tooting, screaming, singing, clapping and general merry making. (It is the only noise louder than the badly amplified call to prayer that echoes from the seemingly sixty mosques all within a stone's throw of the hotel that appear to be in competition with each other) The celebrations went on all night - Cairo is almost a completely nocturnal city, nothing opens in the morning unti 10 or 11, and nothing shuts until well after midnight, even on school nights.

As I wander the streets in Cairo more people than usual think I am an Italian (which makes me laugh as it reminds me of the time somebody called me a dirty wog when I was playing junior football) I simply don't nose why !! They seem keen for a chance to rub salt in the wound for the Italians, and when I tell them I am Australian they smile broadly, ask me if I saw the game, and proceed to tell me about the triumph regardless of my answer. Today during lunch the TV was on in the restaurant and in the space of twenty minutes I saw the goal replayed at least one hundred times from every possible angle, and then the celebrations at the end of the game, followed by some players being interviewed. I can't understand a word of what they are saying, but then it is sport so you don't really have to.

The amount of interest in football throughout my African journey continues to surprise and perplex me - and in Egypt it is three fold. In all the other African countries I have been through there is no real interest in the domestic league, and whilst every now and then the national team will have some success, the real interest lies in European football leagues. In Egypt there is this interest in European football, and in the national league (I watched the final earlier this month and the streets were full of supporters after the final) and in the national team - the Egyptians are two time African champions - and have now beaten the Italians !!!

Tomorrow night the last game is against the Americans, a victory that one suspects despite a local guy telling me about how much Egyptians love America, would be cherished even more.