Hard Luck Red Champs

It's strange how many habits, characteristics and opinions change in you when you live abroad.

You also discover stuff you were not aware of in Egypt.

To start with i was never interested in football. Though I always called myself ahlaweya, fact is I had nothing to do with Ahly nor Zamalek nor any other team.

My biggest achievement in the football field was watching worldcup to cheer for the italian team/players to be more specific.

Today was the finals of the African cup.Ahli played against some tunisian team, that much i knew.So I was overtaken by strong national patriotic feelings and decided to support Ahli and not at home but in public.

I felt the need to be amongst other Egyptians; weired thing that i don't think i felt before.

I love to be amongst friends but Egyptians in general? Completely new.

So this is some major change in habits and feelings.

I wore my red T-shirt and went to a coffee shop with a friend, asked the waiter to put on ART sports 3. Whenever a new group of Egyptians entered the place my confidence and joy grew. I swear i am not being poetic this is exactly how I felt.

I wanted Ahli to win this game..not just to brag but I wanted Egyptians to be happy; football is not just a game or leisure where I come from it is orientation, national pride and lots of other stuff that i am really not aware of because i am girl i guess and was never a football fan.

Back to the game, I have to say that it was a thrilling feeling how we were all cheering at the same time, swearing at the referee, all the booos and aaaahs.

To my disappointment Tunis won, very frustrating feeling that wouldn't have bothered me before.

But the bigger disappointment was seeing UAE Nationals celebrating at the end of the game; ofcourse it's a free country it's really up to them whome to support.

But the thing is they are not into football, and not particularly fond of Tunisians, so the only explanation was that they celebrated our defeat not Tunis' victory.

That i found awfully weired and disappointing, unanimous cheering and hugging at the end of the game??Why, what on earth did we do to deserve this attitude from their part?

I have to say that this was even more disturbing than the result of the game...and i really regretted supporting their team against Oman in the Gulf tournement.