Egyptian rivalry on film

Amr Shaheen
BBC Sport, Cairo

A poster of the film's stars in Cairo

An Egyptian feature film has hit the jackpot by making use of the fierce competition between Ahly and Zamalek, the country's two major clubs.

Titled "Sayed El Atefy" (Romantic Sayed), it has topped the box office in Egypt after attracting thousands of Ahly football fans, because it made fun of arch-rivals Zamalek.

Abla Kamel, the star of the film, appears as a taxi driver and a big Ahly fan, who sings sneering chants, which ridicule the heavy defeats Zamalek have received from Ahly in recent years.

Football has been the subject of Egyptian films in the past, but producers had always been sensitive to the huge rivalry between the two clubs.

But cinema operators are not particularly worried by the boundaries that Sayed El Atefy has tested so far.

"The film is good for the business. It is always fully booked," Atef Awad, a cinema manager, told BBC Sport.

As I booked my ticket to watch the film, I saw many customers entering the cinema, wearing their Ahly jerseys.

The ambiance in the theatre was reminiscent of a football stadium, as the fans chanted along with Kamel's song, which has become very popular in the country.

Zamalek have suffered their worst season in years

But Ahmed El Hobky, the film's producer and an admitted Ahly fan - insists his film was not produced to mock Zamalek.

"In my opinion, it is a normal movie," he told BBC Sport.

"I hope that my film will stimulate Zamalek to retain their form next year," he said, tongue-in-cheek.

Mortada Mansour, Zamalek's President, refused to criticize the picture, which did not put his side in good light.

"We should win the league next year to prove them wrong," Mansour told BBC Sport.

Last season was the worst in Zamalek's history.

They finished sixth in the Egyptian league, 35 points behind winners Ahly, who have not been beaten for more than a year.