ABSTRACT
Egypt’s elite league is considered the best in Africa. It consistently produces top-level footballers for a national team that is dominant in Africa and Egypt’s clubs consistently perform as the best clubs on the continent. However, Egypt’s intranational football, for some years, has been mired in violence among ultra groups, confrontation with the state, and politics. Yet a Saudi businessman, Turki al-Sheikh, chose Egypt as a location to invest in a football club to challenge the country’s most revered clubs—Al Ahly and Zamalek. This chapter focuses attention on al-Sheikh’s incursion into Egyptian football. It attempts to understand why Turki al-Sheikh purchased Al-Assiouty and why it was resisted by club supporters elsewhere. We also analyze what these activities predict for the future of local football in Egypt.
