Meeting the local legends of Egypt's oldest Ramadan football tournament

The small Nile Delta city of Mit Roumi, nestled amid palm trees and cotton plantations, is usually filled with the rattle of tuk-tuks and the rumble of buses. However, during the respite of Ramadan, an unusual calm descends upon the city.

A light breeze brushes Mr Al Araby as he motorcycles past his office building. His eyes are weary, his stomach gnaws with hunger, yet an uncontrollable excitement fills his face.

Mr Al Araby, an insurance planner by day, is one of the organisers of the Mit Roumi Ramadan Football Tournament, the oldest of its kind in Egypt. 

"Someone from another province once asked me how our tournaments are so busy. He'd seen pictures on social media and couldn't believe it! There's no Photoshop here, man! Come to a match and see for yourself"

Simple beginnings

Mit Roumi made history in 1972 by hosting Egypt's first football tournament during Ramadan. Part endurance, part faith, the tournament aims to test the player's ability while their stomachs grumble away.

The Mit Roumi Ramadan Football Tournament is celebrating its 47th anniversary this year. The tournament has only been halted three times in its history: following the Yom Kippur War from 1973 to 1976, during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, and due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

With Asr prayers signalling the end of the work day, Mr Al Araby rushes over to the town's sand field. A bustling crowd awaits him, ready to spend the last of daylight watching the best football players in Dakhleya play. 

"When we first started the tournament, we used to hand out pottery cups as prizes," Mr Al Araby recalls.

The 55-year-old insurance planner, who has lived in Mit Roumi his whole life, joined the town's youth centre at 11; that same youth centre continues to organise the tournament.

Mit Roumi: A Ramadan revelation

Ramadan football tournaments are now a popular occurrence throughout Egypt. And whilst some of the country's older tournaments — like Alexandria's prestigious Falaki — have gained recent fame, Mit Roumi stands out for its fiercely loyal fanbase. 

"The secret of our success is our audience," says Mr Al Araby, "we're always full."

Mr Al Araby isn't wrong. The alleyways surrounding the city's sandfield are packed with people. From a distance, all you can see are the backs of hundreds of men, all intently focused on the movement of the ball.

"Someone from another province once asked me how our tournaments are so busy. He'd seen pictures on social media and couldn't believe it!" says Mr Al. Araby, putting on his jacket. "There's no Photoshop here, man! Come to a match and see for yourself."

A local legend

A couple of weeks later, as Mr Al Araby met with the other organisers to prepare the following matches, Mahmoud Tawfiq finished his shift at the small electronics shop he opened 15 years ago.

The 36-year-old is the captain of Mit Roumi's local team. 

Next to a shelf packed with remotes and chargers lies the large trophy from Mahmoud's last victory in 2018. He stares at it before rushing home to get changed and head to the field: he's playing the quarter-final in less than an hour.

"I used to come and watch the matches every Ramadan when I was a kid. I even used to do my homework in the crowd," Mahmoud tells The New Arab. "Back then I dreamed of playing amongst them. Here I am now, the captain of Mit Roumi's team."

A sea of young men cheer Mahmoud on as he enters the field. On the other side of the field, Mr Al Araby grabs a microphone to announce the beginning of the first half of the game.

The game is frantic and intense, at times Mahmoud looks worried. Ultimately, however, Mit Roumi is victorious and wins 3-1; their bodies are battered, blistered, and covered in dust and sweat after the final whistle.

That same evening, after Isha prayer, Mr Al Araby joined the other organisers, Mohammed Al Adarousy and Mohammed Hussein at the Mit Roumi Youth Centre.

Small groups of men sit around tiny tables playing dominoes or cards in a large room, decorated with military iconography and a portrait of Anwar Sadat. A couple of younger men play pool. In the background, a European football match flickers on TV. 

A much-needed respite

Located 26km away from the governorate’s capital city, Mansoura, Mit Roumi is part of rural Lower Egypt, where the poverty rate is around 30% according to government statistics. Infrastructure, industry and services are scant, alongside opportunities for the new generations, who have seen themselves forced to migrate to the cities in search of a better life.

Deprived of basic elements to fulfil their livelihoods, Mit Roumi’s Youth Centre and its sports activities are the lungs of this 300,000-inhabitant small city and its annual Ramadan football tournament is a breath of fresh air that temporarily alleviates them from the pressure of the country’s ever-worsening economic crisis.

Not far away, in Mahmoud’s house, Mohammed — the captain’s childhood friend — explains how he had to leave and settle in Italy to find work opportunities. He was able to secure a partnership with an Italian travel agency and now runs his own tourism business in Sharm El Sheikh. When he's back in Mit Roumi and sees the situation of his childhood friends, he wonders what his life would be like if he hadn't left. 

As the men lament over the lack of opportunities and Mahmoud's children play in the back, Chayma, Mahmoud's sister, brings up another issue. "Unfortunately women are not allowed to watch the match, there's no space for us. I wish we could," she utters, timidly. 

But despite the social and economic difficulties, the Mit Roumi Ramadan football tournament is when the city's inhabitants are full of hope and positivity.

"When a player from our area takes part in the tournament, it makes us very happy," says Mr Al Araby, his eyes sparkling with pride.

"What does Mit Roumi mean, you might say? At the end of the day, it's just a sandy, messy field in a small town. But at the end of the day, Mit Roumi and its tournament is part of Egypt's history and we are all proud to be a part of it."

Bianca Carrera is a freelance writer and analyst specialising in Middle Eastern and North African politics and society. She has written for Al Jazeera, The New Arab, Al-Quds Al-Araby, EU Observer and others. She is based between Spain, Morocco and Egypt.

Follow her on X: @biancacarrera25

Javier Jennings Mozo is an audiovisual freelance journalist based in Cairo who specialises in social issues. He has previously covered the Balkans and Spain.