By Dr. William Wissa –
Egypt’s national football team does not represent me. Nor does it represent all Egyptians, because of the systematic exclusion of Copts.
What makes this situation even more disturbing is that no one in the Egyptian state—from the Minister of Youth and Sports to the highest levels of government, as well as the Egyptian Football Association—appears willing to address this blatant discrimination. Their silence makes them complicit in maintaining it.
Nearly three-quarters of France’s national football team consists of Muslims and Black players, despite both groups being minorities in French society.
France’s current star, Ousmane Dembélé, winner of the 2025 Ballon d’Or, is Muslim, and his wife wears the hijab. Kylian Mbappé has an Algerian mother and a Kenyan father. One should also remember Zinedine Zidane, the former French captain who led France to victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and Karim Benzema, winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
Likewise, it is difficult to find a major European, American or Canadian football team that does not include Muslim or Black players.
Not to mention Mohamed Salah, who has brought great honor to Egypt internationally and stands apart.
In Egypt, however, the mentality and methods of the Muslim Brotherhood continue to permeate many aspects of public life—not only sports.
This is without even addressing the issue of corruption, which extends far beyond football and is not the subject of this article.
Today, we are living through one of the darkest periods in our country’s history.
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