Moments and memories: football and state narratives in Algeria

ABSTRACT

A Nation’s memory is selective and sheds light only on a selection of narratives of memory and process of memorizing that serves a nation’s interests. At the core of the Algerian state formation, the question of memory and historical legitimacy occupied a distinctive position. The Algerian state built its memory on a series of ‘coherent’ narratives that fall within three distinctive themes: (1) the struggle of Algerian people mobilized around the nationalist party and liberation; (2) a process that mobilizes Algerian people around socialist, anti-imperialist ideologies and (3) more recently, the narrative focused on the notion of national reconciliation following almost ten years of quasi-civil war. In all these themes, football has been used to invoke and exercise the memory of the state. It has also provided football fans, mainly the youth, with a platform to counter and subvert the official memory. Through an analysis of six historical matches/moments, this essay intends to highlight the significance of these particular dates/events in the collective memory and popular culture of the country.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Ricoeur, Memory, History, Forgetting.

2. Gallois, ‘Genocide in Nineteen-Century Algeria’.

3. For an interesting discussion on this, see Brahim, Aux origines de la tragedie Algerienne (1958–2000).

4. Bourdieu, Sociologie de l’Algérie, 123.

5. Amara, ‘Soccer, Post-Colonial and Post-Conflict Discourses’.

6. Ben Bella, ‘Editorial of the First Issue of El Moudjahid’.

7. Addi, ‘Algeria’s Army, Algeria’s Agony’.

8. Koller, ‘Analyzing collective identity in discourse: social actors and contexts’.

9. Dwyer and Buckle, ‘The Space Between’.

10. For more details on this, see Byrne, Mecca of Revolution.

11. It was a movement to empower ‘Third World countries’ in response to the end of colonial rule and the emergence of national liberation struggles in Asia and Africa. See Malley, The Call from Algeria.

12. Crowley, Algeria.

13. Benkhaled, ‘Genesis of a Film’.

14. St. John, ‘Independent Algeria from Ben Bella to Boumedienne’.

15. Fares, ‘Baynanawabayna Franca djibaloun min jamajemwawidiane men eddima’.

16. Amara and Henry, ‘Between Globalization and Local “Modernity”’.

17. The lead author is grateful to Salah Assad, a former Algerian international for sharing this story with him.

18. It should be pointed out that the equalizing goal was an own goal. Betrouni’s attempt ricocheted off a French defender, but as far as Algerians were concerned, this was very small detail. Betrouni won the surname of ‘the last minute’s man’. He repeated the feast a year later, in the same stadium in the same minute for his club Mouloudia Club Algerois (MCA) in the final of the African Cup of Club Champions against Hafia Conakry of Guinea. His goal led to extra time and the Mouloudia won the African Cup after penalties.

19. Djadi, ‘Rabah Menguelti’.

20. Djellit, ‘Jeux Méditerranéens 1975’.

21. In 1977, the Algerian authorities introduced football reforms, which saw the management of football clubs entrusted to state-owned companies. Hence, footballers technically became employees of these companies. The used to get a salary whilst playing football for the team associated with the state-run company. The successes of the Algerian national team in regional and international tournaments, the authorities argued, was the result of these far-reaching reforms. For more on this point, Patrick Crowley, Algeria.

22. Sippie, ‘Algeria’s Équipe FLN’.

23. Lead author interview with Salah Assad, Doha, Qatar, November 2016.

24. Ibid.

25. Fates, Sport et Politique en Algerie, 21.

26. Jordan, ‘The 12 Biggest Controversies’.

27. Doyle, ‘The day in 1982 when the world wept for Algeria’.

28. Lead author’s interview with Salah Assad, Doha, Qatar, November 2016.

29. Sadallah and Duke, ‘Children affected’.

30. Bouandel, ‘Algerian National Popular Assembly Election of December 1991’.

31. Amara, Sport, Politics and Society in the Arab World.

32. President Bouteflika came to power in 1999, under the provisions of the 1996 Constitution, which limited the president to two 5-year mandates. In November 2008, he amended the constitutional provisions that limited the president to a maximum of 10 years in office and the new provisions allowed him to run for office in April 2009.

33. Molmen, ‘Egypt in National Mourning After World Cup Hopes Dashed’.

34. Amara, ‘Football Sub-Culture and Youth Politics in Algeria’.

35. ‘Robert Fisk on Algeria: Why Algeria’s Tragedy Matters’, The independent (2015).

36. Each player received 480 thousand Euros for the qualification into the World Cup in Brazil. See ‘Each player received 480 thousands Euros for the qualification to the World Cup in Brazil’, El Haddaf, October 20, 2015.