Egyptian Clubs Between Financial Crises and the Dream of Professionalism

In recent years, the world has been living in a new era filled with numerous variables and administrative challenges brought about by the technological revolution, where performance excellence has become the decisive factor for progress in all walks of life. Just as societies cannot achieve any advancement without good management, administration has become a profession, specialized work, and a systematic science. Consequently, a nation’s sporting progress reflects the extent of its adoption of modern sports management across all its athletic activities.

Amid funding problems and scarce resources facing Egyptian clubs, these institutions must pay profound attention to the economic dimension of their operations. Succeeding in solving most of their financial dilemmas depends primarily on funding and the management of sports projects, especially since sports have transformed into an economic enterprise—a commodity and product bought and sold for viewing audiences worldwide. In contrast, in Egypt, sports resemble a factory that loses money while workers profit; meaning clubs drain their treasuries on players without securing financial resources. How can clubs fund professional football while they still support multi-sport activities that constitute a heavy financial burden, rather than specializing in a single sport as is the case in European clubs (such as Manchester United and Liverpool)? Indeed, money has become the backbone of sports.

In light of the experiences of many countries that have preceded Egypt in the fields of investment, football corporations, and professionalism, it is evident that revitalizing and developing the sports sector requires developing both supply and demand simultaneously. Increasing supply is useless if it is not met with sufficient demand, and vice versa. Therefore, encouraging investment in the sports sector requires Egyptian clubs to take serious steps toward transforming into joint-stock companies listed on the stock exchange. This would bolster their investment standing, help them meet their financial needs, and allow them to enter the race of sports investment.

By Dr. Hamada El-Antably