Drunk on football!

so... there is a football match on tonight. Egypt v's Algeria. and don't we know it.........

Cairo has gone crazy.

Everywhere is covered with the Egypt red white and black. Flags, hats, hooters, you name it have been sold at the roadside for 3 days now. Most cars have been sporting their flags since yesterday. It was hard to believe last night coming home from work that the match hadn't already been played and won by the partying that was going on in the streets! The shouting and cheering and horn honking went on in gamet dowel street til 3am! All this- for a qualifying match? I dread to think what the streets will be like tonight if we win!!!

Seemingly it is a fairly big deal since Algeria and Egypt have always been at war when it comes to football. I heard that in Algeria a cartoon of Egypt and Algeria was published with Egypt as the bride and Algeria as the groom. What that symbolises I wouldn't like to say! Advertisierng ads have been cashing in on it too, with one restaurant's poster having an image of 2 men, one in an Egypt shirt and one in Algerian, sitting in front of a table full of wonderful, tasty looking food. The slogan being that not even these 2 would disagree on how good our food tastes!

I plan to walk to work tonight..... even the taxi drivers are getting out of town. The taxi driver that brought me home from work last night was telling me how he as going early this morning to Alexandria today, since there was no point in working as all the roads would all be at a standstill! He also described the people already celebrating as 'drunk'. He didn't mean literally that they had been drinking alcohol, but that the frenzied atmosphere was as if they were, and I agreed! As long as that frenzy stays positive then all will be well. The worry is if the crowd turns... it could be nasty. I've arranged for a friend to collect me from work tonight as I really don't fancy trying to make it home alone!

Whatever you do today, if you are in Cairo, don't wear green!!!