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Fans in Dubai let their hair down on a winter night

Dubai erupted into a cacophony of noise and a blur of light as hundreds of Egyptian fans took to the streets soon after the Pharaohs' victory in the African Nations Cup football tournament on Sunday.

  • By Dina El Shammaa, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 13:58 February 11, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Young and old gathered to celebrate with different musical instruments.
  • Image Credit: Dina El Shammaa/Gulf News
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Dubai: Dubai erupted into a cacophony of noise and a blur of light as hundreds of Egyptian fans took to the streets soon after the Pharaohs' victory in the African Nations Cup football tournament on Sunday.

The singing and chanting of an excited Egyptian crowd celebrating their victory echoed on the Shaikh Zayed Road in front of Egyptian cafe 'Arabika' where people of different ages waved the Egyptian flag, sang and danced. Sounds of musical instruments such as the finger cymbals, drums and festive whistles filled the night air.

Fans hugged each other on the streets, chanting 'Egypt, Egypt' as cars honked, bringing traffic in several neighbourhoods of the busy city to a standstill.

Gulf News spoke to a section of the fans to find out their reactions.

Terrific ambience

"I watched the game in a cafecalled Kan Zaman. My friends and I picked it out because of its ambiance. The tactics of the coach were brilliant and the spirit of the players was very positive. The goal we scored was a work of art. The minute we scored the goal, I got off my chair and screamed along with others. I was simply relieved. We immediately took to the streets of Dubai and joined our friends in their celebration," said Mohab Aref, 28, a Planning Engineer.

Rana Sherif, a 19-year-old student, was watching the game in one of the cafes on Shaikh Zayed Road. "I was very nervous. The minute we got that goal, I couldn't sit back any more. I did not stop dancing when I found out we won. We must have caused a lot of noise pollution. I feel sorry for the Dubai residents that night, but honestly, it was the best day of my life!"

Waheed Ebrahim, however, preferred to watch the game at home with his family and friends. "We all gathered to watch the game and were on our toes throughout. Our team played like real men and heroes. Cameroon was not easy to beat, but Egypt still went through.

"We were all worried about this particular game and were discussing it, since it would have been hard on us to accept Egypt losing against Cameron after maintaining an all-win record."

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