Difficult times
Many events in Egypt are being put off because of the World Cup and viewing hours are for early birds. Inas Mazhar writes on a topsy-turvy month
Though Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup, the event has been the sports talk of the town. So much so that appointments and errands are set and made around the matches. Many events, including parties and weddings, have been shelved. Even People's Assembly meetings are being held according to who is playing and when to ensure at least a modicum attendance.
"I was lucky that my wedding was on the eve of the opening match," newly-wed Yasmine Fadel, who is currently honeymooning with husband Hossam in the US, said. "When we were trying to fix a date for the wedding, we wanted to avoid June because of the World Cup. If we had held it then we knew a lot of the guests -- there were more than 600 -- would not come, so we decided to get married on 31 May.
"The guests had already watched the opening ceremony in the afternoon and came to our wedding at night," Fadel added with relief.
The timing of the matches is causing a major problem. Football fans have to wake up early; games begin at 9.30am local time. Companies have reported an increase in absenteeism and those who do go to work produce less than their employers expect when there is a TV set in the office because the day's second game is at 12 noon. And if there are no TV sets, radios act as substitutes.
"I was taking a taxi to work this morning and the driver nearly ran over a man because he was listening to one of the games," bank accountant Rasha Ali said. "I tried to warn him but he was so focused on the match. Thank God I arrived at work safe that day."
Disputes at homes have increased. Housewives complain that their husbands are on edge. "He's so nervous," Amal Ezzat said of her husband. "Can you believe it, he took a vacation just to watch the matches.
"I can't concentrate on my chores because he's around shouting and yelling," Ezzat said, adding that her husband refuses to watch taped broadcasts in the evening. "It has to be live."
Although Ezzat is a football fan, she prefers not to watch the games with her spouse. "I prefer the afternoons and the evenings when he's asleep.
"And, of course, he keeps on asking for tea, coffee and soft drinks. I hope this nightmare is over soon."
"What is it happening in the world? asked Omayma, a 20-year-old maid. "The conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis dominated the TV channels. But now, it's all football.
"After I finish work I can't watch anything. My husband is there and always watching football"
As in previous World Cups, the tournament coincides with final examinations in schools and universities. Thousands of students, especially those in Thanawiya Amma, or 12th grade, are unable to watch the games because they are either studying or sitting for exams.
"I can't tell you how depressed I am because I'm unable to watch the matches," Yehia Gamal, a Thanawiya Amma student, told the Weekly. "I'm a crazy football fan. I've been waiting for the World Cup but I never imagined it would clash with the exams. I don't have time to watch anything whether live or recorded. My time is divided between private lessons and studying. So I'll have to wait four more years."
Gamal then laughs. "Oh, in four years I'll be sitting for my BA."
Parents, too, are in poor shape. "I'm really suffering," says Nahla Hussein, mother of Ahmed and Sara, students at the preparatory stage. "The days before the final exams they don't go to school in order to study but, of course, the latter part never happens. They wake up and sit in front of the TV to follow the matches one after the other."
"Sometimes," Hussein adds, "they have private lessons in the mornings. Their teacher always complains that they are not interested in the revision papers as much as they are in knowing the results of the matches."
As the World Cup drew near, owners of coffee shops saw that a small fortune could be made after it was initially announced that the matches would only be broadcast on pay-per- view channels. Satellite dishes and receivers were bought and in some cases coffee shops were refurbished for the one month of entertainment.
But high-ranking government officials later agreed that state TV would show all the matches live, leaving café owners with nice looking establishments fully equipped with communications equipment but nearly void of customers.
"But they can still make a profit," Abdel- Moneim Abul-Ezz, owner of a 24-hour coffee shop in Shoubra, said. "The café will remain the best place for many to watch matches. It's a perfect atmosphere to support the teams. All present share the same interest."
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