Across the barricades

Every sport has its historic rivalry, and every arena has its unrivalled thrills. In tennis there was Billie Jean King versus Martina Navratalova. In American football it has always been the Cowboys versus the Redskins. And so on. On the Egyptian football map, it's all about Ahli versus Zamalek.

Whenever Cairo suddenly turns into a ghost town, everyone knows what's going on. Ahli and Zamalek are about to play. Egyptians can't wait for these two teams to play their two rounds of traditional games in the league championship every year. The dates are anticipated from the moment the Egyptian Football Association announces them at the beginning of every season.

Everything, in essence, is planned and prepared according to these dates. People have to make sure not to hold any meetings, take appointments, or promise family shopping sprees at those times. Ninety per cent of the nation, during those two match hours, is focussed on the game.

The Ahli-Zamalek rivalry is rooted in history. The two teams are based in the top sporting and social clubs in the Egyptian capital -- Ahli was founded in 1907, Zamalek in 1911.

Their football rivalry has become, in essence, a national divide; whether one is Ahlawi or Zamalkawi has taken on a social connotation of its own. Every Egyptian has a preference, and most people are perfectly versed in the history of the team they support -- the competition focussing not just on winning or losing a particular game, but on adding the number of wins and losses to their history books.

On game day, the stadium gates open early. The route to the stadium is always jammed with cars and buses -- all blowing their horns and waving flags -- red for Ahli, and white for Zamalek. Once in the stadium, fans are separated according to the team they support. Impromptu musical competitions between fans playing each club's anthem fill the air.

The scene after the game doesn't change much -- the raucous cheering continues, and the fans of the winning team celebrate loudly all the way back to their club's headquarters.

Ahli and Zamalek talk fills coffee shops, Internet cafes, office corridors and taxis. In homes, on every street corner, every alleyway, and every major highway in the nation, the presence of Ahli and Zamalek, in some form is felt. It may indeed be a rivalry, a cold war, and the gap that divides a nation, but at its core this rivalry is what binds the country together -- in the name of football.

Ahli

Chairman: Hassan Hamdi

Coach: Manuel Jose de Silva

Stadium: Mokhtar El-Titch

Web site: www.ahli.com

Titles: National league champions 29 times, FA Cup 32 times, African league champions thrice, African winners cup four times, Afro-Asian cup once

Stars: Ahmed Bilal, Sayed Abdel-Hafiz, Essam El-Hadari, Khaled Bibo, Emad Mit'eb, Hadi Khashaba and Wael Ryad

Zamalek

Chairman: Kamal Darwish

Coach: Vingada

Stadium: Helmi Zamoura

Web site: www.zamalek.com

Titles: National league champions 10 times, FA cup 20 times, African league champions five times, African winners cup once, African super cup twice and Afro-Asian twice.

Stars: Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan, Tarek El-Said, Beshir El-Taba'i, Abdel-Halim Ali, Hazem Imam, Wael El-Qabbani