Ah yes, the World Cup, a long anticipated event of the entire world for the 2010 summer. The World Cup is known for its ability to allow the best of the games players to come together, play for their respective countries and share an international bond through soccer. However, as much as we may like to believe all the good that it can bring, it also reveals ugly truths. Egypt and Algeria were pitted against each other to determine who would be the only Arab country represented. This match would result in issues other than who would qualify to play.
Why were these two countries all of the sudden starting to publicly deface one another? Was it simply because of a sense of nationalism and each wanted to win? Or was it because this now gave them a platform on which to reveal their true feelings of one another?
Refer to the website below to give you more information:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/12/03/the_soccer_wars?page=0,0
(there are two pages to this article)
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15 years ago
I believe that the countries were starting to deface each other out of strictly nationalism. This is something that happens all the times in countries in Europe and South America. Soccer has been known as one of the most violent sports on earth, soley based on the passion of the fans. Thus, I believe that it was purely out of nationalism.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think it’s probably just because they know that whatever country gets to represent the Middle East will have a much more respectable position in the eyes of the world, and both nations want, and need, that respect.
ReplyDeleteWhichever country wins is the country that the world accepts and doesn't "see" any problems with. They're duking it out to get the approval of the world and have the negative stigma removed... even temporarily. However in getting to this point they are losing relations with the other country. This is what people are focusing on is the slamming of the other country.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though the rivalry escalated because the two nations have varying governments. The influence of the media definitely fueled the situation. Small incidents grew into out of control crisis'. Such rivalries are more dangerous than the Yankees verses the Red Sox, but the pride and sense of nationalism fuels the actions. The fact that the two nations were the only Arabic countries and pitted against each other is startling. In my opinion, that is where the tension began. If later in the tournament they were pitted against each other, merely because they had moved up the bracket then I feel that less tension would have arose.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what this reminds me of... *cough* 1980 winter olympics *cough*
ReplyDeleteAll sarcasm aside, I think nationalism will always be a big part of sports. Especially in the Middle East, where governments depend on their citizen's favor.
But stoning the other teams bus? That's a little out of hand. Maybe not in England, but in the rest of the world.
Personally, if my team had been beaten by Algeria then I would be pissed as well. The stone throwing was a bit crude, but it got the message across. The Algerian and Egyptian people have some past conflicts, with the eye gouging and all, and whoever won this match they were bound to surface. The real question should be why does only one team get to play? Isn't it the WORLD Cup? Only allowing one Arab nation is discrimination and should not happen. I don't know much about history so I probably sound stupid, but I'm hoping my use of semi-big words will more than compensate.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes down to how each team reacts the situation they're put in. You want to represent your team whether you win or make a statement on the field. The conflict that erupted after the games were unnecesarry and put the two countries in a position that took more then ten years to get them out of. Hopefully they have realized what needs to happen for this years games and make a change from the last time they played to now.
ReplyDeleteI think the media is putting the pressure on and the players are also showing their true feelings of winning and how they are showing the other players how much they want this. They want to scare the other team and intimidate them. The cup should be interesting.
I think that the basis of the rivalry between the two teams was simply because they wanted to win and be respected as a country. This rivalry just gave each country an excuse to bash each other on the side. I also think that another reason for the butting of heads was the subconscious reason that their countries in general (mainly politically) aren't getting along very well.
ReplyDeleteBecause of pride, unsteady governments, and other intense factors, the two countries began to just suddenly publicly deface each other. They both had a lot of nationalism and wanted to win definitely; however the world cup was also the perfect opportunity for both teams to prove their country's spirit, and shut down the others in an arena allowing it.
ReplyDeleteI think the battle of Egypt vs. Algeria in the soccer field has raised deep animosity and jealousy. Whoever wins will have the oppurtunity of a lifetime as will the government. They will have the chance to represent the middle east in the world cup. I think that not only is the anger due to the need to win, but underlying tensions between the two countries.
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