Back to earth

The euphoria that followed Egypt's footballing triumph should not distract us from the tasks at hand, writes Ibrahim Nafie

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Congratulations. Winning the African Nations Cup for the fifth time is no mean achievement and the nation has every right to be thrilled. Everyone followed the games. Many went to the stadium to root for the national team and at least one foreign coach said that this outpouring of emotion played an important part in Egypt's eventual victory. No one could doubt the sense of patriotism that informed the subsequent celebrations and it was heart warming to watch so many proudly waving the Egyptian flag. This is food for thought, evidence of a nation that craves excellence, whether in sports or any other endeavour. I sensed a spirit of patriotism reborn.

The victory came at the right time. Only days before the finals the entire nation was in mourning over the ferryboat disaster. Egypt desperately needed something to restore confidence and pride. One of our players made an extraordinary gesture of compassion when he donated half his winnings to a boy that had lost his entire family in the catastrophe.

Egypt has won this championship four times before. Yet winning it a fifth time gave us a fresh sense of joy. The victory came at a time when the nation had much to grieve, especially in terms of corruption, opportunism and hypocrisy. Our people want to see achievements. They want their lives to be rewarding and fulfilling. They are tired of extremism and fanaticism.

The football victory, I hope, signals the beginning of a new era of achievement, of deeds rather than words. Our footballers have done their bit and the nation has rewarded them with love and cheers. Now it's time to come back down to earth. It's time to turn this one victory into an incentive for excellence. As for the media, it seems to me that it has gone a bit too far in glamorising the victory and crediting various officials for things they may or may not have done.

Our footballers and coach were objective in their assessment of the achievement. They said that our team may not have been the best team but that the support they had from the fans gave the team an extraordinary boost. Once again the media missed the point. And now that the festivities are over one wonders what is next.

The festivities were a bit excessive, one has to admit. It cannot be healthy to exaggerate one's feelings of either joy or sadness. We need to keep things in perspective. This was a great event, and it ended in a brilliant victory. But now we have to get back to work. We have to take care of the families of the victims of the ferryboat. Over 1,000 people died and many more dependents have been left without support. We have to do something to help the survivors and their families get on with their lives. We have to show them that we care. We've all been devastated by the catastrophe, but now we need to turn our compassion into deeds. Let's bring the culprits to account. Let's take action to ensure that such a tragedy cannot happen again. We've had our fun. Let's get back to work.