This isn’t your typical football story, but it certainly showcases the unifying power of the beautiful game. Yes, I travelled to Cairo, witnessed the CAF Champions League final, and gazed upon the majestic Pyramids FC. But something truly special unfolded beyond the pitch.
For the first time in my travels, I experienced the warmth of a ‘home away from home’ in another country.
About eight months ago, my good friend, Engineer Hersi Ally Said, the president of Young Africans, introduced me to an Egyptian journalist named Ibrahim Fahmy.
As my trip to Cairo approached, I let Ibrahim know I was coming. He was incredibly excited, vowing to take care of me with a sincerity I wouldn’t fully grasp until I arrived.
Upon landing in Egypt’s sprawling capital, on my second day, Ibrahim invited me to try Koshary, a common Egyptian dish that someone in South Africa had actually recommended. To my delight, Ibrahim was offering a homemade version, prepared by his mother.
Arriving at Ibrahim’s home in Giza, about 55 minutes from my hotel in Nasr City, I received the most wonderful welcome.
Coincidentally, Ibrahim’s father is a renowned journalist and editor of a Cairo newspaper. He happened to be home that day, as the newspaper is published on Wednesdays, and that week’s edition had already hit the streets. We exchanged pleasantries with the family, and Ibrahim informed me his mom was busy preparing the Koshary.
For those unfamiliar, Koshary is a popular Egyptian street food dish comprising pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, and crispy fried onions, all coated in a spicy tomato sauce. In about 30 minutes, the food was ready.
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However, I was completely unprepared for the sheer quantity placed before me—far more than my stomach was accustomed to. I explained this to my host, who simply smiled and said it was their way of showing love to a visitor.
The absolute highlight of the visit was meeting Ibrahim’s 70-year-old grandmother. I learned the Arabic word for grandmother – ‘Tita’ – and began calling her just that. What a gracious soul. We couldn’t communicate verbally as she didn’t speak English, but her warm smile conveyed an undeniable welcome into their home.
Luckily, Ibrahim’s brother, Mohammed, speaks English and constantly translated everything Tita said to me.
On match day, after a meeting with former Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro at the Al Ahly centre, Ibrahim once again took me to experience another traditional dish. This time it was mulukhiyya, a dish made from the leaves of a jute plant. The dish is often prepared as a soup or stew, with the finely chopped leaves cooked in broth or stock.
Pyramids and Mamelodi Sundowns then dished out a match befitting a final, with the Egyptian side winning it 2-1 [3-2 on aggregate] to lift their first continental title.
I must admit, I initially travelled to Cairo with a preconceived notion that Egyptians weren’t particularly hospitable to visitors. But what Ibrahim and his family did for me completely reshaped my perspective.
It never mattered what religion I subscribed to, my nationality was irrelevant, and the colour of my skin was simply not a factor for them. Their kindness transcended all boundaries. That’s what the beautiful game of football does.
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