World Cup games bring excitement, nervousness for WA Egyptian fans
Tamer Swellum remembers the moment his love for soccer was born.
As a teenager with his father in the top left corner of Cairo International Stadium, he saw Mohamed Aboutrika fire a free kick into the back of the net, propelling Egypt to a win over Libya in the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
Soccer has been a structural bond between the 34-year-old Lynnwood resident and his 68-year-old father, who came to the U.S. from Egypt in 1982.
Now that Egypt is playing on home soil this year in the FIFA Men's World Cup, Swellum said "it wouldn't seem right" if they didn't watch one game together. They've got tickets to Egypt vs Iran at the Seattle Stadium (the temporary name for Lumen Field) on June 26.
And he'll get to pass the ball along to his newborn daughter, so to speak, when he takes her to Egypt's match against New Zealand in Vancouver, B.C., on June 21.
Yes, there is some disappointment and anxiety among local Egyptian fans, especially uncertainty about the team's June 26 game with Iran in Seattle.
The Iranian soccer federation said Iranian fans' tickets to games in the U.S. have been revoked. This is the first time a host country has been at war with a qualified nation.
Egypt and Iran also appealed to FIFA over the Seattle local organizing committee's designation of the match as a Pride celebration, given both countries' punishment of homosexuality.
Still, Egypt making it to the World Cup for only the fourth time and seeing the "Egyptian King," Mohamed Salah, play in the flesh is just the tip of the anticipation pyramid for Egyptians in Seattle. Having the national team play on the world stage in the fans' own backyard means a rare chance for large-scale cultural connection and to show Seattle off.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Ahmed Khalifa, a 39-year-old Egyptian American living near Puyallup. "I'm a little bit anxious, but I'm still hopeful … no disruptions, no issues, no cancellations with the game."
Egyptians make up 0.11% of Seattle metro's population, according to census data. But Tarek Mahmoud says 10,000 Egyptians could be coming to the area, according to the WhatsApp group he organized that helps Egyptian visitors with essential information like navigating the city's transit, food scene and prayer locations, given 90% of Egyptians identify as Muslim.
Mahmoud, his wife and two daughters hopped on a bus around 5 a.m. on Wednesday to Spokane, where the Egyptian national team held an open session for some fans at Gonzaga University. After Egypt's game against Belgium on June 15 in Seattle, Mahmoud will also attend a banquet for Egyptian dignitaries, complete with a red carpet.
When Egyptians run into each other around town, the immediate icebreaker is "Are you attending the games?" said Youssef Shalaby, manager of Hummus Cafe in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood.
The national team's ascent to the World Cup led by Salah, who most recently played for the club Liverpool in England, was essentially prophesied by a movie Mariem Shalaby, Youssef's sister, watched as a kid, she said.
In 2009's "El-Alamy," or "The International Player," a mythical player rises from Egyptian club Al Ahly to play in Spain before leading Egypt to the World Cup.
Mariem wakes up nearly every weekend during soccer season to Youssef and their father shouting at the TV and throwing up their hands in the early morning when games - often involving Egyptian players - are on. The siblings try to keep calm, but "slowly start to become our father" as the game progresses.
Youssef plans to "keep it chill" before Egypt's games. Superstition, he said, is that if you get into a fight, throw out bad energy or act pessimistic, it won't help the team.
The World Cup is supposed to be about the beautiful game, said Ahmed Suliman, owner of Cafe Suliman in Capitol Hill. He's disappointed to see the Iran game "riddled with so much politics," and though he's excited for Seattle Pride, he hopes people won't protest the games - it's the countries' governments people object to, not the players.
Sitting next to him at the cafe, his friend Karima Baza, who grew up in Cairo but now lives in Seattle, said she is interested to see different cultures and backgrounds mesh for the Pride Match. She has no idea what the dynamic will be.
Suliman doesn't see too many Egyptians around, so he is excited to see Egyptians taking over streets, hanging out of cars and celebrating in Seattle for the World Cup. He's even opening a new bar, ShibShib, in Chinatown International District after the Egypt vs. Belgium game on June 15, which he will be attending, as an unofficial afterparty to get Arabs together.
If you get to immerse among Egyptian fans at a match, it's nothing short of "beautiful chaos," Swellum said. Egypt fans have promised nonstop chanting, a "sea of red" jerseys, lots of commentary, even more cursing, drums, and flags and face paint on fans going "ballistic."
Swellum is excited to show Egyptians living outside Seattle and abroad that Seattle is a soccer city. Many Egyptians he meets say the U.S. isn't soccer-friendly, complaining of "zero hype" for the games. But Swellum wants to prove them wrong. Oh, and show them there's a better Washington than Washington, D.C.
If Egypt wins and makes it to the round of 32, Swellum said he's going to party. If they make it to the round of 16, he'll watch the game with his dad. And thankfully, they wouldn't have to wake up early to watch Egypt play.
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