Volume 9, Issue 1, November 2014, Pages 234–238
Sonia Benghida1
1 Humanities Department, Amiens University/ LESCLAP, Amiens, France
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The intention of this paper is to introduce a number of issues relating to World Cup football and international relations within the context of the 2009 qualifying match between Algeria and Egypt. Many scholars argue that World Cup football games may increase violence and incite nationalistic aggression in no time especially in countries where football as a sport is the most prevalent. By analyzing the complex series of dynamic scenarios and tension ratios that surrounded the Algeria-Egypt 2009 game, the paper sheds the light on the direct negative impact of football can have upon the political relationships of countries. The idea of establishing international football events to encourage peace between countries goes up in smoke when not only overzealous supporters but also both media and political parties get swayed by the game. The problems that occurred in both countries led to a decrease in diplomatic flexibility of both governments by stimulating radical nationalism on both sides. The Egyptian government failed to manage these controversial issues mainly by letting its media fueling Egyptians' anger. However, both governments acknowledge their common interests and are working on a process to establish a strategic partnership of mutual benefit in order to stabilize the relations between the two countries. Despite all the problems caused by the football game, the Algerian-Egyptian convergence is a principal factor in maintaining and forging a strategic partnership of mutual benefit between Algeria and Egypt in the future.
Author Keywords: Football diplomacy, Foreign policy, International relations, Power of Media, Football for Peace, Politicized Conflicts, Interstate violence, Nationalism.
Sonia Benghida1
1 Humanities Department, Amiens University/ LESCLAP, Amiens, France
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The intention of this paper is to introduce a number of issues relating to World Cup football and international relations within the context of the 2009 qualifying match between Algeria and Egypt. Many scholars argue that World Cup football games may increase violence and incite nationalistic aggression in no time especially in countries where football as a sport is the most prevalent. By analyzing the complex series of dynamic scenarios and tension ratios that surrounded the Algeria-Egypt 2009 game, the paper sheds the light on the direct negative impact of football can have upon the political relationships of countries. The idea of establishing international football events to encourage peace between countries goes up in smoke when not only overzealous supporters but also both media and political parties get swayed by the game. The problems that occurred in both countries led to a decrease in diplomatic flexibility of both governments by stimulating radical nationalism on both sides. The Egyptian government failed to manage these controversial issues mainly by letting its media fueling Egyptians' anger. However, both governments acknowledge their common interests and are working on a process to establish a strategic partnership of mutual benefit in order to stabilize the relations between the two countries. Despite all the problems caused by the football game, the Algerian-Egyptian convergence is a principal factor in maintaining and forging a strategic partnership of mutual benefit between Algeria and Egypt in the future.
Author Keywords: Football diplomacy, Foreign policy, International relations, Power of Media, Football for Peace, Politicized Conflicts, Interstate violence, Nationalism.
How to Cite this Article
Sonia Benghida, “World Cup Football in International Relations: The 2009 Algerian-Egyptian football conflict,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 234–238, November 2014.
