The Final - The Second Half

The second half continued in a similar fashion, a few Senegal half-chances and a denied VAR penalty claim the only moments of note. Algeria’s defence stayed solid as they had done all tournament, conceding only 2 goals on their way to claiming the title. 

Their fans were by far the louder of the two nations, the green and white flags dominating one end of the Cairo Stadium. Despite all the fuss, it was a pleasure to sit amongst the Algerian fans as they sang and celebrated the victory. We were surrounded by drums, flags, face paint and fancy dress as the festivities began.

The closing ceremony was lovingly prepared by hundreds more ground staff, dashing around the pitch constructing the branded staging, whilst gangs of photographers and security guards followed the players around with the trophy.

Adopted Algerians for the evening, joining in the victory celebrations.

Tensions were hotting up between the Algerian fans and Egyptian security, the latter blocking the fans from getting close to the players, stopping the traditional exchange of flags and shirts between the victorious groups. 

Clashes between the two nations have been simmering for years, and this evening felt slightly hostile as a result. Apparently Algeria had flown fans across in military planes to incite the Egyptians, and as we saw the tensions flare up as the game came to an end, we were slightly glad the home nation hadn’t made the final themselves. If the security was this bad for the Senegal game, imagine the trouble if it had been a politically loaded North African derby.

Evident throughout the crowd was a frustration with the ‘esteemed dignitaries’, as the top brasses of African and world football were announced and took to the stage. A cacophony of boos and jeers greeted the arrival of CAF leaders and Gianni Infantino, Sepp Blatter’s replacement as head of FIFA. 

Perhaps due to the crowd trouble that evening, or maybe a result of a longer standing grievance with the mismanagement of funding and support in African football, it was clear that these were not the most popular men in the stadium that evening. 

In a ceremony that took nearly an hour to prepare, and another agonising 30 minutes to complete, Algeria were crowned Afcon Champions for the second time in their history, re-energising the celebrations from the thousands congregated at our end of the ground.

It seemed even the victorious team were not excused the kettling treatment, with the orange-shirted, hand-holding stream of security guards physically restraining the players from getting too close to their own fans. This sparked anger from players and fans alike, with a farcical on-field, post-match battle breaking out, fans launching water bottles towards the Egyptian security. 

For us, frustrated and still exhausted neutrals in the dwindling crowd, this seemed a fitting end. The newly crowned champions of African football in the continent’s flagship tournament final, blocked and barred from enjoying their victory by security, just like the thousands of fans who suffered the same fate that evening. Attitude reflects leadership, and when treated like animals, sadly enough people begin to behave like them. As we left the stadium, past reams more security staff doing little or nothing, we reflected on the danger and complete ridiculousness of the situation we found ourselves in just hours before. 

Despite the overwhelming tide of positivity we felt for Egypt, its people and its football culture after spending 10 days there, it’s fair to say the experience of the final left a bad taste in our mouths. Whether the blame lands with FIFA, CAF, Egyptian police or stadium security teams, the experience was enough to make me think twice about attending such tournaments or matches in the future.