The Fennecs, who not so long ago were adrift, reached the final of the African Cup of Nations on Sunday July 14 in Cairo at the expense of Nigeria (2-1). But this exceptional career of Algerian footballers does not prevent their compatriots from demonstrating every Friday. The Greens will perhaps become African champions against Senegal in the same year when their country plunges into the unknown.

“We must not fool ourselves with the African Cup of Nations,” chanted demonstrators in the streets of Algeria on Friday July 12. Since July 9, the mandate of the interim head of state, Abdelkader Bensalah, has officially expired.

Which did not prevent hundreds of Algerian supporters from taking the plane to support the Greens against Nigeria on Sunday July 14, thanks to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, that of Tourism and thanks to the travel agency government which coordinated on the ground.

Football, a way to express anger for Algerians

On July 14 in Cairo, the green and red flag flew in the streets and at the stadium. In the afternoon, some supporters went to the foot of the pyramids to hammer out the slogans that can be heard during the demonstrations every weekend.

Like “Hey viva l’Algérie, yetnahaw gaâ” (“Long live Algeria, let them all clear out”). Or again: “Miziriya w tahia el djazair” (We live in poverty and long live Algeria). The atmosphere was good-natured.

However, a few days ago in Algiers, after being expelled from Egypt, a young man was sentenced to a year in prison for holding up a sign during a meeting which also read: “Let them all clear. » The presence of the “12th man” is not always appreciated.

If football remains the flagship sport for Algerians, it is also the way to express their anger. Example: during the last day of qualification for the 2019 edition, while the Greens already had their ticket in their pocket to participate in the tournament, the supporters had deserted the Mustapha-Tchaker stadium in Blida.

The match against Gambia took place without an audience. It was under the hashtag #KhalouhFaragh (leave it empty) that Internet users launched the campaign. Football at the stadium for once no longer had its place.

“In the country, they will go to demonstrate and then they will watch the match”

Before eliminating Nigeria, Algeria qualified for the last four by beating Ivory Coast on penalties after a tense and balanced meeting. Since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Fennecs have no longer been so popular in Algiers and in the rest of the world, where the diaspora remains glued to their screens.

Friday July 19, during the final against Senegal, Fennecs supporters will be even more numerous. Military planes will be chartered for the occasion. But as since February 16, there will be a 22nd Friday on the same day. “At home, they will demonstrate and then they will watch the match,” assures an Algerian colleague present in Cairo.

Here in Egypt, we can also hear the tune of La Casa Del Mouradia, composed by a group of supporters of USM Algiers and performed during the demonstrations against the former president.

History will remember that Algeria reached the CAN final the year the people said “no” to a fifth term for Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who finally resigned on April 2. “I am not a politician, nor a miracle worker or a sorcerer. I just say to the Algerian people that we are going to fight as we have fought until now. This is the only thing I can promise,” says coach Djamel Belmadi, appointed in August 2018.

“Algeria is currently experiencing two festivals: that of the revolution, and that of football,” assures Karim in the columns of Le Monde. But the breath of fresh air that the CAN brings to the Algerian people will not prevent a return to reality the day after the final, whatever the result.

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Mots clés: #Final #backdrop #political #crisis #Algeria