Egypt’s TV sports presenter, Ahmed Shobeir, turns to cooking to protest football stoppage
One of Egypt's top TV sports presenters turned his daily slot into a cooking show to protest the stoppage of domestic football matches.
Ahmed Shobeir's Wednesday appearance on the Modern Sports channel saw him swap salad for soccer, to the bafflement of Egyptian audiences.
"As there are no football games in Egypt, today I will make a salad for you," said the former Ahly and Egypt goalkeeper as he sliced raw vegetables on air.
"This is how you cut tomatoes and cucumber," he added, recommending would-be chefs remove the tips of cucumbers before serving.
Domestic matches of Egypt's most popular sport have been frozen since 1 February when more than 70 Ahly fans died in clashes with rivals Masry in Port Said.
The elected board of the EFA resigned in the aftermath, while nine senior police officers and three Masry officials are among the 73 people facing trial.
Some of the defendants are charged with murder, with senior officers are accused of assisting the attackers.
The new league was due to start in September but was delayed for a month when Ultras gathered in their thousands outside Borg El-Arab stadium in Alexandria to protest holding
the Super Cup game.
But last Wednesday's planned restart also failed, with the new EFA board --
headed by Gamal Allam -- blaming security authorities for not being prepared to secure sports facilities.
The EFA chairman says the group remains in negotiations with Egyptian authorities and is committed to starting the season. Ultras, however, vow to storm any match that takes place before verdicts are reached in the Port Said case.
Shobeir, a one-time goalie for Ahly and Egypt's national team in the 1980s-1990s, has earned the wrath of Ultras for his repeated dennunciation of the fans use of boisterous tactics in and out of stadiums.
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