James M. Dorsey

Egypt ‘Tests the Waters’ With Lift on ‘Soccer Fan Ban’

Egypt ‘Tests the Waters’ With Lift on ‘Soccer Fan Ban’

JAMES M. DORSEY: The Egyptian authorities are moving tentatively to check how radicalised football fans will react to the lifting of a ban on their attendance at matches.

 James M. Dorsey

Egyptian Football: A Litmus Test of Morsi’s Control

Egyptian Football: A Litmus Test of Morsi’s Control

JAMES M. DORSEY: The debate about soccer is as much about politics as it is about sports. It is a debate that is likely to be fought out politically rather than on the pitch.

 James M. Dorsey

Morsi’s Power Play In Sinai, and on the Pitch

Morsi’s Power Play In Sinai, and on the Pitch

JAMES M. DORSEY: Mr. Morsi’s response to this week’s killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers by militants has allowed him to position himself as the country’s co-commander-in-chief

 James M. Dorsey

FIFA Buys Time with Bin Hammam Suspension

FIFA Buys Time with Bin Hammam Suspension

JAMES M. DORSEY: FIFA’s investigation of Mr. Bin Hammam is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, and will inevitably broaden to the Qatari World Cup bid itself.

 Juan Cole

The Real Olympic Question: Do Saudis Want to Integrate?

JUAN COLE: These are the first Olympic Games where women from every country in the world are participating. There is a bigger question for Saudis.

 James M. Dorsey

Kicking Time: Ultras Egypt Truce Likely to Be Short Lived

Kicking Time: Ultras Egypt Truce Likely to Be Short Lived

JAMES M. DORSEY: The battle between the autocrats and the ultras turned the stadiums into battlefields for control with the ultras viewing themselves as the venue’s only legitimate owner.

 James M. Dorsey

Jordan: A Model For Sports Governance in Region

Jordan: A Model For Sports Governance in Region

JAMES M. DORSEY: The success of the Jordanian Football Association is causing other sporting bodies to sit up and take notice.

 James M. Dorsey

Qatar’s Women Athletes Spotlight Religious Differences

Qatar’s Women Athletes Spotlight Religious Differences

JAMES DORSEY: The participation of Qatar’s women athletes opens up differences between it and the Islamic thinking in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

 James M. Dorsey

The Rise and Rise of Turkey: Problems Ahead?

The Rise and Rise of Turkey: Problems Ahead?

JAMES M. DORSEY: Held up as a model of a modern Islamic state Turkey faces some formidable difficulties

 James M. Dorsey

Middle East Cloud Hangs over FIFA

Middle East Cloud Hangs over FIFA

JAMES M. DORSEY: The Middle East looms large as FIFA’s executive committee meets against the backdrop of a call for sweeping change.

 James M. Dorsey

Vodafone’s Egyptian Meltdown: Arab Spring Victim?

Vodafone’s Egyptian Meltdown: Arab Spring Victim?

JAMES M. DORSEY: It’s been a bad year for Vodafone in Egypt. Are the problems of their own making?

 James M. Dorsey

Hooligans Are ‘Terrorists’, Player’s A ‘Traitor’

Hooligans Are ‘Terrorists’, Player’s A ‘Traitor’

JAMES M. DORSEY: The drama off the pitch surpasses anything on it at the moment in Israeli soccer.

 James M. Dorsey

Football Fans Unite To Resist Egyptian Crackdown

Football Fans Unite To Resist Egyptian Crackdown

JAMES M. DORSEY: It looks like there’s been a sea-change in Egypt’s football politics – Ultras White Knights and Ultras Ahlawy have united.

 James M. Dorsey

The $750,000 Guantanamo ‘Pitch’ to Cooperate

The $750,000 Guantanamo ‘Pitch’ to Cooperate

JAMES M. DORSEY: The $744,000 pitch outside a $39 million penitentiary-style building is intended to reward the most cooperative of the 120,171 inmates.

 James M. Dorsey

Algeria: Football Ban to Lead to Street Protest?

Algeria: Football Ban to Lead to Street Protest?

JAMES M. DORSEY: The ban on football matches taking place during election week deprives Algerians of a useful pressure valve

 James M. Dorsey

‘Peep, Peep, Peep’: EFA To Blow Final Whistle on Season?

‘Peep, Peep, Peep’: EFA To Blow Final Whistle on Season?

JAMES M. DORSEY: It’s looking increasingly likely that the Egyptian Football Association will cancel the rest of the season.

 James M. Dorsey

Saudi Condemned for Women’s Sport Restrictions – HRW

Saudi Condemned for Women’s Sport Restrictions – HRW

JAMES M. DORSEY: Saudi accused of kowtowing to conservative Muslim clerics who claim female sports are “steps of the devil” – Human Rights Watch.

 James M. Dorsey

A Storm Brewing: Bahrain Sheikh Seeks Top AFC Job

A Storm Brewing: Bahrain Sheikh Seeks Top AFC Job

JAMES M. DORSEY: Campaigning is under way for the presidency of the Asian Football Confederation. The position is never far from controversy.

 James M. Dorsey

Port Said Deaths Boost Egypt’s Soccer ‘Army’

Port Said Deaths Boost Egypt’s Soccer ‘Army’

JAMES M. DORSEY: Growing sentiment that the brawl in which 74 people were killed was provoked is putting wind in the sails of militant soccer fan groups.

 James M. Dorsey

Saudi Women Get to Be Fans on the Stands With New Soccer Stadium

Saudi Women Get to Be Fans on the Stands With New Soccer Stadium

JAMES M. DORSEY: Saudi Arabia is building its first stadium especially designed to allow women who are currently barred from attending soccer matches…