on NYT: Finding Fraternity and Politics in Algerian Soccer by Fethi Sahraoui

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on NYT: Finding Fraternity and Politics in Algerian Soccer

fethi sahraoui

Jun 6, 2019

Photographs by Fethi Sahraoui
Text by Sara Aridi

Arms raised high. Crowds united in song. Riot police armed with batons. These images could have been taken at political rallies or protests. But they weren’t. They were from soccer matches in northwestern Algeria.

The sport is so popular in the North African nation and the region, that it’s been given the Marxist treatment: “We call it the opium of the people,” Fethi Sahraoui said. Since 2015, Mr. Sahraoui has photographed roughly 30 games in his hometown, Mascara, and in neighboring Relizane. The result is “Stadiumphilia.”

Policemen standing near the fence that separates the seats of the local supporters from those of the visitors. 2018.CreditFethi Sahraoui/Collective 220

Finding Fraternity and Politics in Algerian Soccer
Fethi Sahraoui has been photographing young Algerians who rush to local stadiums for biweekly soccer matches and for a chance to be heard.

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Fethi Sahraoui

Also by Fethi Sahraoui —

on The Washington Post: A look inside the mass protests in Algeria

on NYT: Dreamlike Photos Reveal the Spiritual and the Comic at Algerian Festivals