Algeria’s win and a political footballHafed Al-GhwellAlgerian players celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Final football match between Senegal and Algeria at the Cairo International Stadium in Cairo on July 19, 2019. For once, the national conversation was not about the woes at home but about something all Algerians can be proud of, regardless of their political leanings. England’s Cricket World Cup victory offered temporary relief to a nation beset by Brexit woes and endless chaos from Downing Street to the Palace of Westminster. South Africa’s hosting and winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup was a welcome boost to a new post-apartheid era. North Korea’s victory against a heavily favored Italy in the 1966 World Cup delivered a propaganda victory to Kim Jong Il just 13 years after the Korean War.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 20, 2019 14:26 UTC