CAIRO — An uproar over social networking sites has been sparked by the committee tasked with managing the Muslim Brotherhood funds, when it issued a May 8 decision to freeze the funds of Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Aboutrika on charges of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. Wide popular sectors, including supporters of the June 30 revolution, have consequently rushed to show solidarity and sympathy with the player.
Aboutrika enjoys sweeping popularity among Egyptians and Arabs in general, not only for his unique soccer skills, but also for his good morals and great humanitarian positions. Arabs will never forget his January 2008 stance on the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. Trying to draw the attention of the world to the suffering of the Palestinian people, he wore a jersey printed with a Gaza solidarity logo during the game against Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 in Ghana. Though the move could have led to sanctions by the African Union for using political slogans during a sports game, Aboutrika went through with his decision to draw the world’s attention on Gaza, in a game widely covered by the media.
Aboutrika also refused to shake hands with the chairman of the Military Council, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who ruled Egypt after the January 25 Revolution, during a meeting with the Al-Ahly players at Almaza military airport. His refusal came in response to the massacre at Port Said stadium on Feb. 1, 2012, which claimed the lives of 72 people from Al-Ahly, the biggest tragedy in Egyptian sports. After the football match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masry, Al-Masry fans rushed to Al-Ahly’s bleachers and attacked the fans. The security forces, tasked with keeping order during the game, closed the exits. Forensic doctors' reports confirmed that some of the victims were shot to death and others were stabbed, and many pictures proved that the security forces were involved in the massacre. Notably, during the game, Al-Ahly fans were shouting slogans against the military rule.
Aboutrika was there when the bodies of the victims of the heinous Port Said massacre arrived. According to Aboutrika, this event was a plot to against the hard-core Ultras, which opposed the military junta rule.
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