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9. Bearded Players in Egyptian Playgrounds

Wed, 2010-09-08 11:12 — nevine

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Year: 
2010
Week: 
23
Article number: 
9
Article pages: 
4-7
Date of source: 
June 9, 2010
Author: 
Khālid Nājih, ‘Abd al-Latīf Hāmid & Ahmad ‘Askar
Reviewer: 
Mon&#225 Sa‘d
Article summary: 
Egyptian football players remember to give thanks to God and call for His providence even on the playing fields. 
Article full text: 
It is a very strange and exciting scene: bearded soccer players are actively running on the carpet, chasing football, hoisting side kicks, dealing with ground balls, and performing head kicks. Some of them are attackers; others are defenders and even goalkeepers.
 
They recite the name of God with each counter-attack and prostrate after each goal to thank God. They don't look to the referee, but they look at the sky. They wear long shorts and prefer the color black. Veiled girls are encouraging them in the stands. Their leaders (Shaykhs) in "al-Rahmah" and "al-Nās" channels say that playing football is not fun and games, but diligent work and fatigue.
 
Zaghlūl is their leader, and they are determined to score goals. One of them says: 90 percent of soccer players are committed, and another one says “players consult us in religious matters. They are happy with the spread of the grateful prostration in stadiums, like Abū Trīkah, who is an example of commitment and ethical conduct.”
 
The exact number of bearded players is not available, not even in the Egyptian Football Federation, but the numbers are increasing. It is funny to find a bearded goalkeeper. They believe that the bearded goalkeeper's net is protected against goals. Bearded football players are happy about being committed, but they fear misinterpretation and assert that they do not join any other groups but their football team. However, they do not deny that they are playing the role of a preacher on the playground, thus they are professional football players and amateur preachers.
Fulltext type: 
Summary
Quality: 
The article contains no obvious errors...
Classification: 
News reporting
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