FOOTBALL FANS AT FEVER PITCH IN EGYPT
▶ Thousands gather to watch El Falaki tournament for first time in two years, writes Kamal Tabikha in Alexandria
While many Egyptians associate Ramadan with the iftar cannon in Cairo and fanous lanterns, for thousands in Alexandria, the holy month is also when the beloved El Falaki football tournament kicks off.
The tournament, which started in the Mediterranean port city in 1976, has returned this Ramadan after being cancelled for the past two years owing to Covid-19 restrictions. Organisers say this year’s event has attracted large crowds.
It was established by four avid football fans who wanted to give people in Alexandria an annual competition in which to compete.
Named after two of its founders, brothers El Sayed and Loza El Falaki, the tournament continues to be held at its traditional home – the Lambroso Residences in the city’s Hadra Al Qibliya district.
“We launched the tournament to make people happy, first and foremost,” Mohamed Shaheen, the tournament’s last surviving founder, tells The National.
“There was a demand for a platform for people to play football and though our experience was limited in organising these kinds of events at the time, the first round was a smashing success.”
The competition now comprises five leagues categorised by age groups.
A junior league features eight teams of players between the ages of 12 and 14, with another league set up for players older than 15. There are also two senior leagues, one with a minimum age of 35 and another for over-45s that is being held for this first time this year.
But the highlight of the 30day event and the league most closely followed by supporters has no age restrictions, with teams able to choose their players freely.
The tournament was also known for its use of a “sock ball”. This was a crude type of football used by players because they often could not afford a regulation ball.
When the tournament was first held, the ball was made of sponges formed into a sphere, bound with thick string and covered in industrial adhesive to hold it all together, Mr Shaheen says.
But after two years organisers decided to switch to a softer material because the dried adhesive proved to be too hard on players’ feet.
Today, they use a size 3 basketball – much smaller than the footballs used in the professional game – which is wrapped in plastic tape to reduce its bounciness.
The balls have to be adjusted and repaired throughout the tournament because matches are played on a tarmac pitch, Mr Shaheen says.
Hamed El Arabi, a member of the tournament’s fiveperson organising committee, says that while the sock ball was used because of a lack of funds, a smaller ball is still desirable because it makes it
If a player can execute complicated manoeuvres using the smaller ball, playing with a regularsized ball is a breeze HAMED EL ARABI
El Falaki organising committee
more challenging for players, helping them to hone their technical skills.
Over the decades, the Ramadan tournament has helped to produce some talented footballers.
The event was also made famous when Egyptian film star Adel Imam joined the crowd while preparing for the 1983 film El Hareef, in which he plays a talented footballer.
Mr El Arabi, who has been at every tournament since he was 11, says it helped him to develop as a player.
“If a player can get accustomed to executing complicated manoeuvres using the smaller ball, playing with the regular-sized ball becomes a breeze,” he says.
The tournament is brought to life each year by the dedication of the supporters, especially those who live near the makeshift pitch.
Thousands gather to watch matches, with the tournament scheduled to run until the last day of Ramadan.
“In the middle of a match, I will look up to the balconies around the pitch, the rooftops – every possible place with a line of sight to the pitch will be crowded with spectators,” Mr Shaheen says.
“Their cheers will reverberate off the buildings when a team scores. Most of the matches will be watched by between 3,000 and 4,000 spectators.”
He says the games were also an opportunity for talented footballers to make some extra cash through tip pledges made by fans.
“People will keep coming up to our panel and offer 200 [Egyptian] pounds [$10.80] or so to the first person to score the first goal or if they block a certain number of goals, and so on,” he says. “People really want to keep it going; it’s a part of who they are.”
Aside from the small financial rewards, trophies are handed out to the teams that come first, second and third in each league.
An award is also presented to the best player, best goalkeeper and best losing team in each league.