Chants of Faith and Fury: Piety and Sexuality in Egyptian Football Culture

During the 1980s, Egyptian football stadiums became the stage for two strikingly different events. The first occurred during the 1982–83 season when Al Ahly team fans launched a verbal attack on Zamalek’s star player, Hassan Shehata, following the arrest of his sister-in-law, actress ʿAida Riyad, on charges of prostitution. The extensive media coverage of the case provided Al Ahly supporters with provocative material, leading to chants that questioned the fidelity of Shehata’s wife and even the paternity of his child. 1 In an attempt to quell the aggressive taunts, Al Ahly’s captain at the time, Mahmud al-Khatib, made a gesture of sportsmanship by holding Shehata’s hand and walking with him toward the stands, signaling solidarity.