By: Elham Abul Fateh
It seems that the new year, 2019, carries a lot of good for Egypt. By its beginning, Egypt took over the presidency of the African Union and she was selected to organize the African Cup of Nations tournament.. This really triggers optimism, but to meet such responsibilities we’ve been gifted with, we really have to prepare.
It’s true that Egypt is internationally recognized for its role and history, but still, each one of us has a role to play in order to organize a great championship that impresses the world.
Every ministry, every governorate, every official and every citizen has a role. We must all be there, cooperate and work together in an integrated epic of effort and hard work to make success as it should be. 6 months is the only remaining time during which we should prepare to impress the whole world.
We have the potential and the ability to do so. The most important factor is the determination and the capability to meet the challenge. It is a real and golden opportunity to show again the cultural style and strength we saw in the 2006 championship, which was organized by Egypt and was one of the strongest and best championships ever. We have to use this opportunity where fans would return, show a polite, civilized and proper attitude when dealing with the guests of Egypt. It will be a chance to show the new civilized Egypt, capable of hosting the tournament, which will have great results for us and for our country during the coming period .. Fortunately, we built during the last 4 years some of our required infrastructure for this. One of the most important is a road network which is capable of easily transferring fans and masses.
What is required now is to unite all the authorities for getting up to this organization process, as well as to assign a strong team to get this tournament out in the best possible way, to emphasize that Egypt is a country of security and order as well.
On local level, we have to prepare well to receive the teams and fans, and begin to equip and prepare the internal roads leading to stadiums and hotels and improve the level of lighting and cleanliness in all neighborhoods and streets, and improve the areas surrounding the stadiums. There should be as well action plans involving all ministries to follow projects of paving and lighting and to develop solutions to any problems that may appear. In addition, there should be follow up for planning of roads and decorating it with Egyptian and African flags. Creating alternative routes is a must to prevent bad traffic at main roads. Also there should be follow up for plans of securing foreign teams, delegations and fans, as well as regulating the public transportations, obligate them to official tariffs for transport, and linking all major squares with field stadiums, while increase the transport lines to and from stadiums.
The involvement of NGOs and youth and sports centers is a must, as well, to organize awareness campaigns to motivate citizens for hospitality and good treatment with our guests, especially those who provide them services, and that every Egyptian should feel that he is an ambassador of his country and he is responsible for delivering a good image of Egypt civilization, hospitality and generosity.
Egypt's victory in organizing the tournament sends a message to the world that Egypt is safe and stable. The African Championship is the third strongest tournament in the world after the European and Latin American nations, which deserves a lot of work, diligence and attention, as an effective promotion for tourism.
We have to quickly prepare groups of young people and train them to introduce guests to the best tourist places in Egypt and to prepare inexpensive sightseeing programs suitable for soccer fans, who will return to their home countries as ambassadors for Egypt. It is also an opportunity to create some kind of artistic and cultural festivals which should take advantage of this event and the world’s watching, to introduce our authentic arts.
The organization of the tournament is a result of our political might among the nations.. It is a societal responsibility to show our civilized nation and people, which will return positively to us at all levels, tourism, finance, investment and politics.
Congratulations to Egypt for being there having the confidence of Africa and the world, their trust in our country, infrastructure and enthusiastic fans. Congratulations on the tournament we are hosting for the fifth time in its history. The football is one of the soft power elements, our upcoming organization is a reflection of leadership, might and rank among nations. The presence of African fans will have a significant role in increasing the link between Egypt and its brothers and African neighbors.
Follow the latest news on Google News
