Mohamed Koudba
Appearances
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
whether it's in a small alley, whether it's in a five-a-side proper pitch, you would find it somewhere, and you would find some of it even broadcasted on the live television. It's just a cultural phenomenon that showcases how obsessed Egyptians are with football. Decades-long tradition now, and it's still going strong, I have to say.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
Yes, let me tell you that some of the professional players for the elite clubs, we're talking about clubs that won the African Champions League multiple times. Try and get away with the cheeky game of street football in Ramadan. And if they get caught, they get heavily fined. And there are special Ramadan football tournaments for former professionals.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
So you would see players who have been all over European football, who won Africa Cup of Nations several times. They would compete against each other and it would be as heated as what they used to have back in the days. It just rekindles the passion towards where they've come through because most Egyptian professional footballers have come through the youth systems.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
And before that, it was just street football that introduced them to proper clubs, actually.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
Yeah, but it's just fashion and the journaling they feed on, basically. And it starts right after midday. It goes on all the way until midnight or even after midnight. So some of it actually gets played after breaking the fast. Some of it gets played before breaking the fast, but...
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
When football is there, when the cheering, the crowds, the attention they get from everyone in the block, I think just makes up for the lack of food and drink for the specific couple of hours they play before breaking their fast.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
My happiest moment in street football is that I shared the five-a-side team with my dad. My dad played for decades in street football, especially in Ramadan. And when I started to come through, he was... pushing me to play on his five-a-side team. So we shared a couple of these tournaments together. Not that I was as good as him, I have to say, if he's listening to this show. Modesty.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
I have to be honest. Yeah, I have to be honest. He was better than me. It was a happy memory. Sharing it with my friends from the block, friends from uni as well, was a pleasant memory. And yeah, the sheer amount of competitiveness we've shared over this and then we stopped to break our fast and go on again was just phenomenal. I wish there was more time on my hand now to do more of that.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
But yeah, as you get older, you get more busy. Kudos to everyone who enjoyed it up until the age of 50s and 60s. Massive respect to them because it just shows how passionate they are about the game.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Football while fasting -- Egypt's Ramadan pastime
It's just adrenaline and passion.