Before the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup began, the fixture said we would play Algeria on Nov. 14 in Cairo. What we didn’t know was whether the game would attract 80,000 people to the stadium or 80. There were five games to be played before the final with Algeria, and no one could say with certainty whether the game would mean something or nothing. Now we know.
It means everything. For the past month, no Algerian or Egyptian has been talking about anything except tonight’s collision that could see one going to the World Cup. Here as there, lives have been taken over by the match which has taken on a life of its own, ballooning way out of the borders of football. We are all taking it personally.
Had it been any other country except Algeria, there would not have been a fraction of all this fuss. But this is not just about going to the World Cup, This is going there while crossing over Algeria, and given the bloody football history between the two, this would be doubly great.
Egypt would like to banish the demons that have prevented it from making it to the World Cup save twice. We have collected as many African cups as hobbyists collect stamps, so much so that it has become ho-hum to win Africa. But our World Cup appearances are as rare as rare stamps. The last stamp was almost 20 years ago.
On the pitch, Algeria has three outright chances to go the World Cup – win, draw or lose by one goal. Egypt must win by two goals to even things all up and play a decider in Sudan on Nov. 18, or win by three goals to go straight to the World Cup.
Algeria is spoilt for choice, its three opportunities giving it a clear edge. But when you play with so many options involved you tend to get confused, unlike when your one simple goal is to score goals, as Egypt must do.
Owing to the situation, Algeria will naturally opt to play defense and leave Egypt to do the hard work of trying to score. They will also stall. They’ll lie prone and motionless if touched, which they are famous for, to eat away the minutes, of which every second counts.
The real action could be in the stands. Egyptians fans are implored to not throw even a tissue onto the field for fear that an Algerian might drop dead should it land on his head. Such theatrics could well fool the referee as well as FIFA observers in the stadium whose job it will be to report any abnormalities.
Fans numbering in five digits could be a double-edged sword. They can be with you or against you. When our U20 team went out early from the World Cup last month, the reason many gave was because they were playing in front of 80,000 people. So, are the fans a blessing or a curse, friend or foe? Friend if the players have the experience to channel fan energy to their advantage. Foe if the players don’t have such know-how. Fans are great when you’re winning but they are fickle and can turn against you viciously if you’re not.
It was not supposed to end like this. When the draw was made, we were jumping up and down with joy. Our Group C was nothing like the qualifying groups we had before. There was no Tunisia, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Cameroon, most of who have given us terrible headaches. But Algeria’s run has been surprising and the coupling of Egypt’s missteps at the start has led to this inexorable encounter.
Tonight’s collision was made for Hollywood. It could not have been better scripted. There was tension like this 20 years ago when Egypt beat Algeria in Cairo to go to the 1990 World Cup. However, back then the two-week interval between the first and second legs did not allow that much time for talk while today’s Internet, satellite TV and more newspapers than ever before provides much more space for talk.
And back then, Egyptians were in a far better state. Certainly, tonight’s match and its prize are huge, but going to the World Cup will not stem swine flu. It will not lower unemployment figures or the cost of living. It will not advance our schools or lessen our traffic or improve our health. The only thing it can do, should we win, is make us feel better in a country where so many people don’t feel so good.
Today will go down as one of Egypt’s greatest achievements, football or otherwise. Or today will become our worst nightmare. The country was in a similar frenzy when we bid to host 2010. For months, the talk of the town was nothing except the World Cup we would stage. We didn’t make it; we weren’t even close. The fear is a reprisal of a similar letdown, but we should be prepared for the worst. Although nobody here wants to think about it, we could lose and miss the World Cup. As such, the nation’s 80 million are invoking Allah to get us past this day in history.
A sports column would not be a sports column if it did not make a prediction, so for whatever it’s worth, here it goes. Mindful that to hit the bulls-eye you need good assessment and good luck, when South African referee Jerome Damon blows his final whistle, the score will be Egypt 3, Algeria 1.
See you in Sudan.
