Red Sea Derby

Last updated

Red Sea Derby
Location CAF (Africa)
AFC (Asia)
Teams
First meeting United Arab Republic 13–0 Saudi Arabia
1961 Arab Games (3 September 1961)
Latest meeting Saudi Arabia 2–1 Egypt
2018 FIFA World Cup (25 June 2018)
Statistics
All-time seriesMatches: 7
Egypt wins: 4
Draw: 1
Saudi Arabia wins: 2

The Red Sea Derby is a name given to the rivalry between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two powerhouses of the Arab world and also football powers in their respected continents, Africa and Asia. The two countries shared a similar Red Sea boundary, and thus gave rise to their rivalry with this proximity. [1]

Contents

Egypt took the lead with 4 wins, 1 draws and 2 losses. However, all Saudi wins happened to be in FIFA-sanctioned tournaments.

History

Due to their geographical closeness, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have developed a long relationship, although the relations have been fraught between hostilities and rapproachment. [1] During the reign of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt and Saudi Arabia had fractious relations and often in confrontation with each other over the Arab affairs, known as the Arab Cold War. [2] The relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia experienced improvement after Abdel Nasser's death, although their differences remain substantial.[ citation needed ]

Following the Arab spring, Egypt elected a Muslim Brotherhood member, Mohamed Morsi, as President, which shocked Saudi Arabia due to Saudi opposition to MB. [3] In 2013, a coup sponsored by Saudi Arabia resulted in dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became President, removing the MB from power, leading to criticism that Saudi Arabia was helping the Egyptian junta to eliminate dissent. [4] In 2017, Egypt agreed to transfer four uninhabited islands to Saudi Arabia, which sparked outrage in Egypt. [5] This had resulted in booing of Saudi anthem and the Saudi national team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, when the two met each other in a dead rubber match.[ citation needed ]

Matches

#DateVenueHome TeamScoreAway teamCompetition
18 December 1972 Flag of Morocco.svg Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca United Arab Republic  Flag of the United Arab Republic.svg13−0Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 1961 Arab Games
223 December 1975 Flag of Tunisia.svg El Menzah Stadium, Tunis Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg1−2Flag of Egypt (1972-1984).svg  Egypt 1975 Palestine Cup of Nations
314 November 1988 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg0−0Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Friendly
429 July 1999 Flag of Mexico.svg Estadio Azteca, Mexico City Egypt  Flag of Egypt.svg1−5Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup
514 March 2005 Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg0−1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Friendly
625 November 2007 Flag of Egypt.svg Cairo International Stadium, Cairo Egypt  Flag of Egypt.svg2−1Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 2007 Arab Games
725 June 2018 Flag of Russia.svg Volgograd Arena, Volgograd Saudi Arabia  Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg2−1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 2018 FIFA World Cup

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References

  1. 1 2 Makinde, Adeyinka. The Saudi-Egyptian Rivalry: How a Football Match Reflected Geopolitical Relations via www.academia.edu.
  2. "Saudi Arabia And Egypt: An Uneasy Relationship". Hoover Institution.
  3. Hessler, Peter (19 June 2019). "Mohamed Morsi, Who Brought the Muslim Brotherhood to the Egyptian Presidency". The New Yorker via www.newyorker.com.
  4. Tahhan, Zena Al. "'Egyptian society being crushed' five years after military coup". Al Jazeera.
  5. Walsh, Declan (14 June 2017). "Despite Public Outcry, Egypt to Transfer Islands to Saudi Arabia". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.