I’ve been backed up over the weekend and haven’t had a chance to write much so I’m gonna put out a bunch of the news on the Egypt situation here, along with the previous post which was a bunch of Union news. Sorry for not being able to write more, there’s a lot of information worth getting out there and I only have so much time to write about it.
he US State Department announced a travel alert warning U.S. Citizens not to make unnecesary travel to Egypt
>>http://phillysoccernews.com/teams/usa2.php?article_id=6286
Soccer matches were cancelled across Egypt this week, but there is no news on the U.S. game. USSF says they are monitoring the situation.
If you manage to skim over the rather heavy politics, this article does try to explain simply why this game hasn’t already been cancelled. What’s the point of the national team playing a soccer game in a moment of civil unrest?
A short comment on the importance of the ultras, an Egyptian supporters club in forging the current situation. The ultra’s have section’s supporting both sides of Egypt’s biggest, and one of Africa’s biggest rivalries (Ahly v Zamalek). Of course the ultras also take part in one of the fiercest national rivalries in the world between Egypt and Algeria.
>>http://boston.com/community/blogs/less_is_more/2011/01/are_soccer_supporters_groups_l.html
Also important to remember is that it is not a game against any outside party, it is against the U.S. who has had a significant effect on the situation in Egypt, and who most recently upset Egypt 3-0 in the Confederation’s Cup, a part of why Egypt did not qualify for the past World Cup despite being widely considered the best team in Africa. The game will undoubtedly be very important to the players and the country, of course that is if it manages to get played.
As much as you should all probably be following the issues in Egypt for more important reasons, they could also likely have an effect on the soccer world. Considering that the U.S. is scheduled to face Egypt in Egypt on February 9th, less than two weeks away, and Egypt is in the midst of rather significant political turmoil there is a very legitimate chance that the Friendly could be cancelled. Even if the game is not cancelled, I would argue that it is equally likely that the protests in the streets could boil over into the stadium. To be honest, I am very uninformed on these matters, but I think its important to be aware of the situation as it stands, to put the game in a proper context. Egypt is currently in the midst of a revolution against President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. President Mubarak has had consistent support from the American Presidency, be it Bush or Obama, and that is likely noticed by the Egyptian public. Mubarak has repressed Egypt farther and farther recently, and while the U.S. government has not commented (at least from what I have read but please correct me if I am wrong) much on the situation, which has been viewed as a tacit endorsement of Mubarak and the things he has done.
According to an article in the Washington Post, on Tuesday “Clinton called Mubarak’s government “stable” and claimed it was responding to “the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people.” Hours later, riot police attacked the thousands of demonstrators who had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Rightly or wrongly, Egyptian opposition activists now say, Clinton and the United States are being blamed in popular opinion for that crackdown. “She is seen as having given Mubarak the green light,” one told me.”
Although more recently the U.S. government has changed their stance and said that ”We support the universal rights of the Egyptian people, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly”( said by Clinton) the Egyptian populous has not been so swayed by these words.
“Clinton’s statement on Tuesday reflected what the policy has been for two years,” Ibrahim said. “The second statement was a bit more balanced. But it is still not balanced enough for our taste. What we hope for is explicit support for the demands that are being put forward by the people in the streets.”
The key to the entire view of the United States in this situation is that “Washington continues to supply the country with billions in aid and is the primary source of weapons and hard currency for the Egyptian military – the likely arbitrator in a showdown between Mubarak and the opposition.”
In short the political climate will definitely be a very significant part of any happenings in Egypt in the near future, and a visit by the USMNT is sure to be no exception. Whether the game happens or not it is sure to be affected by the current state of the country.
>>All Above quotes are taken from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/27/AR2011012705934.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
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