The Tragedy of Port Said: football fuel chaos

In Football Notes we wanted to wait a couple of days to address this issue. Ever since the Tragedy of Port Said there have been a myriad of confusing and contradictory information, a feature inherent in this Age of information overload. Now we are ready to make a summary and analysis of events with a minimum of rigor:

In Port Said confronted the Al-Masry, local computer, and Al-Ahly club Cairo. Without resorting to put everyone in the same bag, which is beyond doubt is that the extremists of Al-Masry belong to the Egyptian population akin to the former dictator Hosni Mubarak, while the Al-Ahly ultras involved actively in overthrowing the old government. The Al-Ahly was founded in 1907 in Cairo by Egyptian fans. The data on the nationality of its founders is not trivial, as most clubs were born under the auspices of the colonial bourgeoisie of English origin. Thus, from its inception, Al-Ahly fans brought together in his anti-colonial population, not in vain the name means The National.

When in 2011 broke the social upheavals in the Arab world, Egypt became the center of what Westerners have come to call the Arab Spring. Tahir Square, the heart of the protests in Cairo, became ground zero of the revolution. Among the thousands and thousands of Egyptians who challenged the Mubarak government and, therefore, its armed wing (army and police), there were several social groups that were active in organizing protests, among which were precisely the ultras Al-Ahly. In fact, Tahir showed up some team players, with their captain at the helm.

During the protests, the Egyptian Premier League ceased its activities despite the Mubarak government's effort, determined to appear normal through the official team, Zamalek, who played several friendlies throughout the country. Once toppled Mubarak, the Egyptian walk tucked into a new struggle, even more complex: to make the revolution goes beyond a change of face in government. After a period of apparent false comfort, the population has returned to the streets to fight the new government, plagued by political and military related to the old regime.

In this situation came into the match between Al-Masry Al-Ahly and. The match ended 3-1 in favor of the locals and just after the final whistle all hell broke loose. Within seconds the field was flooded with hundreds of fans as the players of Al-Ahly fled to the locker room. Wisely, they ran towards the police for protection. They did not find: the police were impassive. Within minutes the chaos was such that it was impossible to know what was happening. It ended up being forced police to focus on their own survival.

Once topped the maelstrom of violence are many doubts and certainties. The first question is whether the error was primal party celebration as things are in the country, the second is a derivative of the above: having decided to follow risking the League, would not be necessary to prevent displacement amateur? Especially in cases like the game at hand, it was well known that both hobbies represent two opposing sectors in the socio-political conflict.

One certainty is that security was not far from guaranteed. The radicals on both teams were able to enter the stadium with rockets and all kinds of weapons: sticks, knives, iron bars ... One question is how it all began. Locals say that the first to jump into the field armed was among the visiting fans, while those of Al-Ahly and deny most state that only an excuse put by the ultras of Al-Masry.

Anyway, after this we find another evidence: police washed their hands and even helped to escape the visiting team members. Most arrived more or less healthy to the locker room, but some, like the porter, suffered countless attacks until you can get to safety. The worst part they took their fans: situated in one of the funds of the stadium, they were surrounded everywhere: the local ultras were locked up left and right by the stairs while closing the flight to the lawn. The result was utter barbarism: avalanche, crushing, burning, lynching, falls from heights (pushed around , seeking the only way others) ...

The result has been more than seventy dead and hundreds injured (which, hopefully, increase the number of deaths). Among those who lost their lives because there are police, as we said, there came a time that became another target of the mass enfervorecida and ended up fighting for his life.

The Tragedy of Port Said has worsened the social conflict in the country and to be seen what consequences may result in the future. In recent days, thousands of Egyptians have returned to flood the streets to protest the violence in Port Said and the police are at the center of criticism. Far from their ineffectiveness in Port Said, have responded to the protest rallies and there have been more dead on the streets.

In the purely futbolísitico, the Federation has stopped the competition. The leadership of Al-Ahly has taken two decisions: one is that none of its teams will travel to Port Said to compete over the next five years and the other is that, until clarification of what happened and take action, will not allow different sections participating in any competition, this is a major detriment to the sport in the country since the Al-Ahly is the main quarry of the major sports in Egypt.

One of the big questions that one asks is what role football played in the tragedy. Inevitably, the first thing that pops into one's head are other misfortunes past: Lima, Moscow, Heysel, Hillsborough ...

The back reflection is very complex. Football is the sport in many countries. As we know in Spain, politicization is inevitable: some clubs and hobbies flag has many ideological and political positions. This situation causes conflicts between supporters of the clubs that go far beyond the sporting confrontation. See the feverish faces with in this country some sing live Spain! and other Spain Whore! can and should scare anyone. If this ability of football to arouse the lowest passions that unite around a party together large masses of people already have the fuel. The mass radicalization of the individual: it would never do in their daily lives can than from the anonymity of chaos. Because the biggest problem is not permanent radical minority, but that is radicalized most circumstantially.

Would it have been the same if the sport in Egypt was the rugby, or cricket, or hockey ...? I am inclined to think so, but I fear that I would be wrong. Football has a special magic. It can make people happy like few things in this life. See if the weeks are living in Miranda del Ebro boars of Mirandés never forget what Anduva lived in this season. The problem is when the magic falls into the wrong hands and becomes negative: the same energy that can levitate for joy an entire stadium can become a torrent of cruelty and immorality can produce catastrophes unclassifiable magnitude of the Tragedy of Port Said.

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