In much of the world, nothing is more unifying – or in some instances, more polarizing – than a football match. Fans of Egypt and Algeria, across the Arab world and beyond, proved that this Saturday as their teams went head to head to qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa. While tensions ran highest in Cairo, they were also alive and well in the virtual sphere, including on Twitter [1], where many users reported their screen was filled with football sentiment. Twitter user mbaa [2] sent a capture of his screen, which was flooded with talk of the match:
A tweet from Egyptian embee [3] demonstrated [4] the fanaticism of some fans:
Some reports claim that tickets are now entirely sold out! At the same time, Egyptian NoraYounis [5] expressed disbelief [6]at the unifying power of football for Egyptians:
Egyptian NohaAtef [7]‘s tweet [8], on the other hand, showed the uplifting properties of football:
In many instances, the football matched unearthed national rivalries. Algerians and Egyptians went head to head on Twitter as the game was taking place. Egyptian Sandmonkey [9] quipped [10]:
Algerian-American themoornextdoor [11] fought back, joking [12]:
Finally, Algerian reemba [13] reminded us [14] that it ain't over till it's over:
