Egypt Wins African Cup Match & And Celebrates More Than Moon Landing

Yesterday, the Egyptian national football team won an African Cup match against bitter rivals Algeria 4-nil. Unfortunately for the Egyptians they did not win a more important recent game against Algeria - the World Cup qualifier which saw Algeria heading to the Cup for the first time since 1986. That match saw a sore and vulgar Egyptian nationalistic attack against the Algerian people - both in public hooliganism and in official grotesque and manipulative statements from the Egyptian president Mubarak on down. Egypt desperately wanted a victory then because corrupt Arab regimes seek to distract their people with sports and other gimmicks from their ineptitude, subservience toward Israel and client status under the United States empire. When it lost (and with good reason), it rallied an abhorrent public anger with slogan 'Algeria, the land of a million prostitutes' (a play on the Arab regard for Algeria as 'the land of a million martyrs' because the French occupation killed 1.5million Algerians).

egypt vs algeria by maktoufo LWjPY 19672

Egypt is still nursing a grudge and the government still relies on sports to distract the people and to create a rally-around-the-flag effect so that when the Egyptian government is attacked for its cruelty toward the Palestinians - such as this week preventing food aid from entering besieged and suffering Gaza - it seeks to convince the Egyptian people that all attacks against the state are also against the Egyptian people. Since the dishonor of Sadat, this has been the focus of Egyptian nationalism: in order to justify Egypt's break with Arab nationalism and sign a peace treaty with Israel, Sadat promoted the belief that Arab attacks against him were really against all Egyptians and that Egyptians are a superior people against all other Arabs. He started to emphasize Egypt's Pharaoh past and how the country has a rich ancient civilization, therefore its own distinct identity. Egyptians, Sadat championed, should see themselves as Egyptians first and Arabs seconds. Pan-Arabism should take a back seat to state-sponsored nationalism and one that supports the government from outside attack. That is the explanation behind the thuggish Egyptian response to Algeria's victory.

And while Egyptian television lost the opportunity to distract public attention from Egypt's active blockade in concert with Israel against the Palestinians last time in the form of victory (they still distracted with their sore loser commentary), this time they went crazy with promoting their much sought after victory. Watching Egyptian television yesterday you'd may be forgiven for thinking than a victory game to the African Cup Final was the highest honor a nation could aspire to. Without exaggeration, normal broadcasting was suspended for slow-moving videos of the winning game with Arabic music in the background and occasional images of fan-cheering. This was played on a loop over and over again. From day to night, the effort to use soccer as a distraction from real problems in Egypt was so blatant and sickening in its transparent nature. Whole shows were held to discuss the game. I am certain that the landing on the Moon did not attract as much focus from the U.S. and world pres. The Egyptian press made an unimportant game seem like the biggest game in the world, like some high honor Egypt won, and as if the entire world is now paying attention to Egypt with awe and celebration. As if anyone cares. The African Cup final does not attract much attention, let alone a qualifier to it. But the Egyptian press could not have hyped it enough, judging by their logic there is no greater achievement for a nation than to win an early round African Cup against Algeria. It was made to be as if the greatest thing to happen to Egypt, nay the world forget the Moon!, and so historical (it is anything but: Egypt has already won a record six Cups) as to merit entire somber shows with everyone wearing Egyptian paraphernalia.

This is the reality of a regime lacking in popular legitimacy and needing to please Tel Aviv in order to maintain U.S. patronage. A sad sight. How do they look at themselves?