Zamalek vs Wafd For Third Place?!

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There is a joke in Egypt which goes something like this (after modification to fit the occasion): A guy asks his friend "Who won the presidential elections last year, NDP or Wafd?" "NDP" "And who won most matches between Ahly and Zamalek during the past 3 years" "Ahly" "So it is Zamalek vs Wafd for third place, huh?"

The reason I remembered this joke (which had many variations for the past 30 years or so) is the uncanny similarities between Zamalek football club, and El Wafd party, especially when it comes to their "democratic" processes. If you hadn't been following, Zamalek's elected president, Mortada Mansour, was ousted by the government, and replaced by an appointed temporary board, a decision which was revoked by court last Sunday, prompting Mansour to return to Zamalek with the words of Al-Hajjaj entering Baghdad in mind: "I see ripe heads, whose time of harvest had come, and I shall gather them". Noaman Gomaa, Wafd's elected president on the other hand, was ousted by the general assembly of the party, a decision which he refused, prompting massive clashes between supporters of both sides, which climaxed on Saturday, leading to the arrest of Gomaa, and some of the opposition leaders.
In both cases, the two institutions had a serious problem following a peaceful democratic process; both witnessed violent clashes; both were appointed un-democratically elected leaderships; and both appointed leaderships are, unfortunately, much better than the democratic ones.
So what about the finalists (Ahly and NDP)? Well, they both witnessed very long periods of stability due to the presence of very strong, patriarchal leaders.
A funny thing though: when Saleh Seliem (Ahly's late president) died, the new board prevented his son (actor Hesham Seliem) from entering the club citing his failure to pay club fees for the last 30 years. Think about that!

Tags: egypt, ahly, zamalek, wafd, politics, football