By Daraj (*) –
For a long time, Christians in Egypt have struggled to become professional football players, often failing, and finding no role models on the field to inspire them. This lack of representation felt like an official decision …
Gerges Magdy, a footballer for Egypt’s “Enppi” club, avoids speaking publicly, fearing for his position. He is the only Christian player in the Premier League, among approximately 540 players, (with 30 players in each team.)
There are dozens of “forgotten talents” who left trials and first-division club training to retire before their careers even started, choosing to pursue other sports and opportunities while maintaining the symbol of “the crescent with the cross,” which protects the conspiracy of “Christian silence in exchange for survival.”
Talents chased
“Oh!, your name is Mena?!, get out of here.” These words represented the final stabbing directed at the child Mena Essam after he succeeded in the initial trials at Al-Ahly Club, outperforming 250 other children for the goalkeeper position. He was informed to come to the club’s branch in Nasr City, Cairo, for the final trial. However, when he arrived, he found his name had been removed from the list.
In previous media statements, Mena Essam mentioned that Ali Khalil, the goalkeeper coach, “was biased (religiusly fanatic) and treated me poorly.” When Mena brought up his case to Ahmed Ikrami, the technical supervisor of goalkeeping coaches for Al-Ahly’s youth sector, Ikrami refused to let him rejoin the trials, dismissing him outright when he heard the name “Mena” (a typically Coptic name). His father added that Adel Taima, a key figure at the club, said, “Even if your son is the best player in the group, I won’t take him.”
This incident, which took place in 2016, brought to light an issue many Christian families fear to approach, an issue the Egyptian Church does not dare address. The accused here is not an individual but a collective mindset. Egyptian coaches, often from religiously conservative rural backgrounds, oversee trials, which are the only entry point into the football world. They frequently exclude Christian talents early on, downplaying their abilities, to prevent them from rising and possibly becoming stars who might one day join the “Team of the Prostrators” (the name the national team became famous for, as players rush to prostrate, as if in an Islamic prayer, everytime they score.) In 2017, another case surfaced about a boy named Tony Atef. He impressed the scouts during trials at Al-Ahly, but when it came time to register, the coach pointed to his wrist, indicating his tattooed cross, and Tony—previously considered a promising superstar—was suddenly deemed talentless and unworthy. He was then rejected.
The incident spread across social media, prompting Al-Ahly to invite Tony back for another trial. The club did not deny the initial incident but issued vague statements about national unity. Tony passed the second trial and became a youth player for the Red Devils, a move seen as an attempt to appease the angry Christian community, frustrated with Al-Ahly’s sectarian biases.
A review of the Egyptian Premier League records over the past 30 years shows that no more than 12 Christian players have managed to join first-division clubs, each with their own unique stories of struggle and perseverance.
Changing Christian names to Islamic ones: The price for staying in the game
Captain Mahmoud El-Gohary, the former coach of Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team, offered the young (Coptic) player Medhat Abdel-Massih a spot on the first team, on the condition that he “change his name” (i.e. for a more “Islamic” name.) However, Medhat came from a wealthy family, and this condition of name-change was seen as the culmination of a series of religious discrimination incidents he had faced. The same scenario repeated itself with the young (Coptic) player Abanoub Samir. His brother, Mina, told AFP that when Abanoub was 17 years old, he applied for trials at the Alexandria-based Al-Ittihad Club, and the response was: “Your name will cause us problems. Play with us as Mustafa Ibrahim.” Abanoub refused and gave up his dream of becoming a professional player.
Ashraf Youssef, a player for Zamalek Club in the 1990s, had a (religiously neutral) name that was acceptable to Captain El-Gohary, who was nicknamed “The General.” He was included in the national team after winning several titles with Zamalek. To adapt and fit in with his teammates and coaches, Youssef memorized the Fatiha (the opening chapter of the Quran), Surah Al-Ikhlas, and Ayat Al-Kursi, and he would recite them with Zamalek players before matches. He even took on the role of laying out the prayer mats for the players during Ramadan. Though he faced less religious discrimination, Youssef admitted that (despite his appeasement efforts) some players bothered him because of his religion. “Some didn’t like eating or sleeping with me in the same room,” he said.
No Christian player has escaped harassment or attempts to force him into retirement or prevent him from playing so he wouldn’t grow and secure a place in the national team. Hassan Shehata, the national team coach who won the African Cup of Nations, was asked in a famous BBC interview: “Why isn’t there a single Coptic player in the Egyptian national team, even though they represent more than 10 percent of the population?” Shehata replied, “There’s Hany Ramzy and Mohsen Abdel-Massih,” to which the interviewer quickly responded, “That was in the past… I’m asking about now.” Shehata then said, “This is up to God. There are no Coptic players in the clubs, but if a good player appears in the clubs, we will include him in the national team.”
The standard Christian response to Shehata’s answer is that no talented Christian players would appear in the clubs because “the drying up of talent starts from the source.”
Abram Makar, editor-in-chief of the Canadian newspaper Good News, tells the tragic story of his very talented Christian friend, Magid Nabih Mikhail. He was chosen by a foreign coach for Al-Ahly Club at the time and went to fill out the forms with the club’s administration. The employee asked the same question posed to every Copt: “What’s your name, son?” He replied, “Magid.” The employee asked again: “Magid what?” “Nabih,” Mikhail responded. (First two names being “neutral,” so the employee pressed on to find out for sure, by asking:) “Nabih what?” “Nabih Mikhail,” he answered. After hearing the full name, the administrator stopped writing and said, “We can’t take you this year. Come back next year, God willing.”
Christian Quota?
Incidents of excluding Christians from Egyptian football clubs prompted retired Egyptian player Ahmed Hossam (Mido) to propose a “Coptic quota” in Egyptian teams, allocating 10% of the roster to Coptic players, during meetings of the committee preparing the sports law. He added that “many Christian players stop playing football at an early age due to the racism they face on football teams.” The committee rejected the proposal by a majority vote. In a later interview, Mido asked, “Is it reasonable that, in the entire history of Egyptian football, there have only been five Christian players at the top levels of the sport?“
Mido found no answer to his question, but according to many, the issue shouldn’t, normally, require a legal “Christian quota.” Egyptian law subjects any coach, player, or administrator who discriminates, assesses, or excludes based on religion to accountability. This is in line with Article 53 of the Egyptian Constitution, which (theoretically) prohibits “discrimination based on religion, belief, gender, origin, or ethnicity.” The second paragraph states that “discrimination and incitement to hatred are crimes punishable by law.”
The Trap of Hany Ramzy and His Professional Peers
The question now is: Who can prove that exclusion or discrimination occurs on a religious basis?
The entire matter is rather subjective, and whenever it’s said that Christians are excluded from professional football, an example is brought up: Hany Ramzy, who played for Al-Ahly, the Egyptian national team, went abroad, and even coached the national team. Ramzy, a former Egyptian professional in mid-level clubs in Germany, was not publicly known to be Christian—after all, not every “Hany” or “Ramzy” is Christian. He rose through Al-Ahly’s youth sector into the first team and began his professional journey at a young age. However, his faith became public knowledge when he became a star and a main player for the Egyptian national team, especially after the 1990 World Cup. Before Egypt’s match against the Netherlands, he made the sign of the cross and prayed, revealing his Christian faith to the public.
Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Church, who usually avoids controversy, responded to the lack of Christian football players in an interview with Egypt’s “Al-Youm Al-Sabea” on March 22, 2018. He couldn’t help or stop expressing his surprise, and said: “Don’t ask the Copts, ask the clubs. Is it possible that there’s not a single Christian player in any of the Egyptian football teams? Not one Coptic kid who played football in the streets could became a player? Whose fault is that? It’s not the Copts’.”
The Christian response to the exclusion of Christians from football has never been official, nor has there been open anger. For the head of the church, as a church source told Daraj (while requesting anonymity), football is “just a game” that can be sacrificed to ensure Christians remain safe. However, the “Coptic Solidarity” organization filed a complaint with FIFA in 2016, alleging discrimination in Egyptian football. They reported 25 cases of rejection due to religion since 2007 from clubs such as Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Arab Contractors, Haras El-Hodoud, El-Gouna, and Wadi Degla, despite the fact that the owners of the last two clubs are Christian businessmen. So, are Christians truly “not suited for football” and don’t deserve to play?
Many Christian players who made it into the Egyptian Premier League blame families for not encouraging their children to pursue football. Hany Ramzy, in an interview with Radio 9090, said: “As Christian families, we are apriori fully convinced that if our kids go to trials, they won’t be accepted, even if they are good. I say to them: send your kids, trust in God, and if they’re talented, they’ll be accepted. And if they’re rejected, try another club or two or three.”
John Gamal Manga, a former player for Tanta and Al-Nasr who was the only Christian in the Premier League for two seasons out of 630 players, denied any “persecution of Christian players,” reasoning that “Egyptian coaches race to sign African players from different religions, so why would they discriminate against Christians?
The issue, as highlighted by Gerges Magdy, the only Christian player currently in the Egyptian Premier League, seems to stem from a lack of encouragement and awareness within Coptic Christian families. Gerges echoes sentiments similar to those of former player John Gamal Manga, attributing the low representation of Christians in football to cultural factors. Many Coptic families discourage their children from pursuing a career in football, believing it to be an unstable or uncertain path. They often prioritize education or more secure career options over sports, especially professional football, which is perceived as a risky endeavor.
Moreover, Gerges, who spent seven years playing in church leagues, points out the disconnect between amateur Christian football players and professional clubs. He observes that many talented Christian players remain unnoticed because they either do not participate in club trials, or the clubs themselves show little interest in scouting church leagues, where these players often compete. This lack of interaction between church leagues and professional football clubs exacerbates the absence of Christian players at the higher levels of the sport in Egypt.
Coptic families, and the Pursuit of Assured Success
The dynamics between Coptic Christians and football in Egypt reveal a deeply rooted psychological barrier shaped by decades of exclusion and discrimination. Many Christian families come to view academic success as a more secure path compared to sports, which they perceive as fraught with challenges and discrimination. This focus on education is evident, as parents often encourage their children to pursue academic excellence, believing it to be an area where merit is less likely to be undermined by religious biases.
For instance, Gerges Magdy highlights to Daraj that many families believe academic performance, usually assessed through confidential examination papers and grades, is less susceptible to religious discrimination, leading to a greater emphasis on studying and scientific fields among Christian youth.
Historical roots
The issue of Copt in football has deeper roots. Historically, the position of Coptic Christians in Egyptian society has been precarious, particularly (in modern times) since the 1970s when political and social conditions shifted to a more overtly religious framework under President Anwar Sadat. This era marked increased visibility for Islamic practices, such as the inclusion of the call to prayer on national television and the restriction of alcohol sales.
The Copts found Egypt being defined in ways that openly excluded them from equal belonging alongside Muslim Egyptians. As a result, they faced discrimination and persecution under the previous authoritarian regime and the transitional governments that followed.
The growth of Islamic movements during the Sadat era created strong Islamic footholds across Egypt. Wealthy individuals with Islamic backgrounds, who supported these movements, became members of clubs and established connections with prominent players, inviting them to gatherings. This led to the rise of players like Magdy Abdel Ghani and Gamal Abdel Hamid, who grew beards, symbolizing a visible shift towards religious conservatism in sports. Soon, many players and team managers adopted this style, with Islamic attire such as knee-length shorts becoming common on the field.
As these figures retired, they became youth coaches at top clubs. Coming from simple, rural backgrounds, they were often intolerant of Christians, even though they did not resort to violence. In their hearts, they adhered to the Quranic verse (that deride the Jews or the Christians) and applied this literally, preventing Christian youths from joining clubs. This was done out of fear that Christians might compete with Muslims for leadership in football, which they saw as a resource for the religious battle against the Dhimmis (non-Muslims under Islamic rule).
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Summary (**)
The text discusses the systemic exclusion and marginalization of Coptic Christians in Egypt, particularly in the realm of football. The cultural and religious dynamics in Egypt have led to a situation where Copts often feel they do not belong equally alongside their Muslim compatriots. This sense of alienation has been compounded by the rise of Islamic movements since the 1970s, especially during Anwar Sadat’s presidency, which fostered a more religiously conservative environment.
Key points include:
- Cultural Exclusion: Copts find themselves defined out of the national narrative, facing discrimination and oppression under both previous authoritarian regimes and transitional governments. The growth of Islamic movements created environments where Muslim athletes received preferential treatment and access to opportunities in sports.
- Religious and Social Barriers: Wealthy, influential Muslims have used their connections to create networks that support fellow Muslims while sidelining Christian players. The prevalence of Islamic symbols and norms in sports culture has further marginalized Coptic athletes, who often feel unwelcome in competitive environments.
- Failed Aspirations in Football: Many Copts have attempted to pursue professional football but have been thwarted by a lack of representation and role models in the sport. This exclusion is often perceived as an unofficial policy among coaches and club officials, who collectively discourage Christian players from pursuing careers in football.
- Prioritize Education: Given the obstacles in sports, Coptic families have increasingly prioritized education and other fields perceived as more stable and less discriminatory, leading to notable successes in academia and other professions, but little recognition in sports or arts.
- Shadow Sporting World: In response to systemic exclusion, a parallel—shadow— football community (often sponsored by Church) has emerged for Christians, allowing them to engage in the sport outside the mainstream environment.
These dynamics reflect a broader struggle for identity and representation in Egyptian society, with the church and community grappling with how to navigate a landscape where they feel marginalized.
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(*) Abridged translation, by Coptic Solidarity.
For further reading, refer to the original article:
(**) Not part of the original article
