The Egyptian Football Association (Arabic: الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم) is the governing body of association football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of the CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction over the Egyptian football league system and is responsible for the men's and women's national teams.[1]
| CAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Short name | EFA |
| Founded | 3 December 1921 |
| Headquarters | Cairo |
| FIFA affiliation | 1923 |
| CAF affiliation | 1957 |
| President | Gamal Allam |
| Website | www |
The EFA headquarters is located in Gezira, Cairo. The EFA organizes the semi-professional Egyptian Second Division as well as the lower regional leagues at the third and fourth levels of the league system.[2]
Controversy
editChristians comprise approximately 5–15% of Egypt's population, the majority of whom are Coptic Orthodox Christians.[3] Despite their significant numbers, there are currently no Coptic members on the national football team. However, in the past, there have been notable Christian players, such as Hany Ramzy. Additionally, prominent Christian families, like the Sawiris family, own major football clubs, including El Gouna FC and ZED FC.
Over the years, there have been numerous reports and complaints (both formal and informal) from Coptic advocacy groups and community members, such as Coptic Solidarity, regarding the alleged exclusion of Christians from the football league and Egypt's national team. A similar complaint was filed by Coptic Solidarity to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) concerning the exclusion of Christians from Egypt's Olympic teams. These exclusions have been described as systematic, though neither FIFA nor the IOC has initiated any investigations into these claims.[4][5]
See also
edit- Egyptian Premier League
- Egypt Cup
- Egyptian League Cup
- Egyptian Super Cup
- Egyptian Women's Premier League
- Egypt national football team
- Egypt national under-23 football team
- Egypt national under-20 football team
- Egypt national under-17 football team
- Egypt national futsal team
- Egypt national beach soccer team
- Egypt women's national football team
References
edit- ^ "CAF – Members Association – Egyptian Football Association". cafonline.com. CAF. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "تاريخ الإتحاد" [Association History]. efa.com.eg (in Arabic). EFA. Archived from the original on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ "The Copts and Their Political Implications in Egypt". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
- ^ "Coptic Solidarity Urges FIFA to Investigate Discrimination Against Coptic Footballers in Egypt - Standard Newswire". www.standardnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2018-07-23.
- ^ "Coptic Solidarity Files Complaints with the IOC and FIFA Regarding Egypt's Religious Discrimination Against Copts in Athletics". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2018-07-23.
External links
edit- Official website
- Egypt at CAF
- Egypt at FIFA