Algeria victory in Africa Cup fuels protest movement
With Algerians continuing to protest the political elite, the state tried to win points by co-opting the national fervor over soccer, which is intrinsically linked to the Hirak movement, subsidizing travel to shuttle fans to see the national team play in the Confederation of African Football final in Cairo.
In Algeria and around the world, fans of Algerian soccer boisterously celebrated the team's 1-0 victory over Senegal in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) final, held in Cairo July 19. Fireworks, car horns and occasional clashes with police dominated numerous city centers.
Tensions had run high ahead of the final game, not least among the core of fans and demonstrators who have propelled the country’s protest movement from the terraces of Algerian soccer stadiums to the streets, where it established itself as the dominant theme in Algeria’s political discourse. Opposing them stood an embattled government that after weeks of U turns and concessions appeared eager to either co-opt the national fervor as it manifested in support of the soccer team or at least generally deflect the worrisome political angle from its doorstep.
Some 4,800 Algerians were expected to arrive in Cairo ahead of the final game via subsidized chartered flights and military planes provided by the government. In Algeria, fans traveled in legions to stadiums to watch live broadcasts of the game on big screens, amid cheers for their team and songs of revolution.
The link between soccer and Hirak — the popular protest movement sparked by former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s initial decision to seek a fifth term — has been clear since the movement took root. The Algerian midfielder Adlène Guedioura made the link tangible when he dedicated the team’s victory to the peaceful demonstrators of Hirak.
