“What is going on now is the result of years of depression,” said Ahmed Al Aqabawi, a psychology professor at the Al Azhar University in Cairo.
He explained that we were talking about an Egyptian population that constantly witnesses social, financial and political failure, and football was their only ray of light.
“I have never seen Egyptians focused all together on one target as they were before these two games, and that is why the loss was such an enormous disappointment for millions,” he added.
Let’s expand, shall we? (I should have posted on this while I was in Casablanca. Apologies.)
The post-soccer match turbulence was directly linked to depression which was due to “failure” (read: frustration), and arguably also repression (perhaps left out for security purposes?).
The intense anger, wrongfully pointed at the Algerian national team (who won, fair and square), manifested itself with such rage and violence because it was the only way for Egyptians to release their penned up frustration. The disobedience and trash-talking that took place after the match in no way harmed the legitimacy of the Egyptian government and was thereby deemed permissible. The momentum that kept these ridiculous statements and the hostility towards Algeria going for a week originates from the silenced frustrations of a bleak economic outlook, the lack of civil liberties and an overall disgruntled youth.
Egyptian depression, then, is (as stated in the citation) not a cause but a consequence of these repressed frustrations as well. However, the defeat in Khartoum was not what broke the Egyptian spirit -it was already broken- it’s what gave it a chance to lash out.
