Q&A with Bob Bradley '80

Bob Bradley ’80, the current head coach of the Egyptian national soccer team, recently entered the international spotlight after attending a march in Cairo commemorating the victims of a riot at a soccer match in Port Said on Feb. 1. The former head coach of both the Princeton men’s soccer team and the U.S. national team, Bradley has been outspoken in his commitment to remaining with the Egyptian team despite the conflict. At 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday — 7:30 a.m. in Cairo — The Daily Princetonian interviewed Bradley over the phone.

Q: What are you up to today?

A: We have a meeting this morning with the people at Al-Ahly. We’ve been there at different times in the last stretch, but now just to talk a little about their players, see some of the players. There’s been a lot of pressure on the players at Al-Ahly from the families of those who lost their lives that they don’t want the players to play until, in some cases, they catch the people who did it. Today we’ll meet with them and try to get a better sense of where some of these players are and then come back here this afternoon for training.

Q: Why did you decide to march with the protestors after the riots in Port Said?

A: The morning after the tragedy, when I spoke to Zak Abdel, Zak is a friend of mine, he was with the U.S. team the last five or six years as goalkeeper coach. The morning after me, Zak and the assistant coach El Sahed spoke about what happened. I asked them for different opinions. When Zak and I talked more about it, we went back where I live, and my wife was there. At that point, he had gotten word from somebody that there was going to be a rally in Sphinx Square. We all agreed at that time that it was important to show respect to those who lost their lives and show respect to their families, and that it was important to be with the people at that moment. I’ve said it many times: The people in Egypt are very warm, they’re very proud. They’re proud of their culture, they’re proud of their history, and of course they’re very, very proud of their football. I say football only because here that’s what they call it. They’re very proud of their football, and they’re passionate, and in a country where there’s so much passion for football, it’s incredibly sad that a group of young people would lose their lives at a football match. We all felt it was important to be in Sphinx Square with the people and make sure that in a simple way we were showing our respect.

Q: What does this turmoil mean for Egyptian soccer in the near future?

A: The near future for us is going to be June — first the World Cup Qualifiers are in June against Mozambique and Guinea, and then we’ll play home and away with Central Africa, which is for the 2013 African Cup of Nations. At the moment, it looks as though the league will not start up again. We’re in a camp right now; we’re still hopeful that in this camp we’ll play friendlies, but that’s not clear. The friendlies that were scheduled to be in Goma were cancelled, but there’s a discussion now about our team leaving for Qatar and playing two or three games in Qatar when we get there. When this camp is over, we will already have ideas because we’re going to continue to have to continue to have camps to make sure that we prepare a team for these four really important games in June.

Q: By many accounts, you’re one of the most prominent American public figures in Egypt at the moment. What is this like for you? Does it carry any extra responsibilities that coaches don’t normally have to deal with?

A: It’s really important that people understand that at the moment there’s tension between the Egyptian government and the United States government. But there’s a huge difference between how Egyptians feel about U.S. policy and how they feel about Americans. For me, because of the passion that Egyptians have for football and because of the way politics and football are connected here, at this time the national team must be strong. We must be strong; we must be a good example; we must help people be united. There is a big responsibility in that. After a tragedy, any leaders — and again, we could be talking about government leaders, we could be talking about community leaders, and in Egypt certainly if you’re the coach of the national team then you’re in a leadership position — the response of leaders in these moments is very important for helping the people be united and for giving an idea now of moving forward, and I think that’s clearly the case.

Q: Your brother Scott spoke about how he feels that in Egypt, at the moment, soccer is more than just a game. Would you agree with that?

A: Yeah. Without a doubt. It’s a huge passion for the country, but what you really have is a situation where everything that’s gone on in this country is still driven by peoples’ hopes for the future, people who feel that after so many years of the old regime, the Mubarak regime, that there needed to be change, that it needed to be a real democracy. The revolution was about the people, it was the voice of the people. Certainly anyone in the United States can understand what it’s like when the people as a group come together and fight for change. There’s this huge hope for the national team as well, because with the success that Egypt has had in the African Cup of Nations, it hasn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1990. Everyone you meet here talks about how important it is now to go to the World Cup. It’s the dream of everyone. At a time when there’s so much hope for the future of the country, the hope for the national team to qualify for the World Cup, it’s almost like these things are linked.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

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A: Two things real quick. First, if you’ve read anything where I’ve been interviewed, Port Said by a lot of the Western journalists was covered as a football tragedy, like a fan violence thing that’s similar to what happens in other moments in football matches. Port Said was much more than that. This was political; there are many questions still about exactly how it happened, but this was a setup for sure. This fits with other moments of violence that have occurred since the revolution. And then the other thing that I would say is that most Americans’ picture of Egypt in the last year is based upon these images on the news. What they don’t see is that even while those types of protests and demonstrations and moments of violence are occurring, there are so many people that continue to work hard and go about their lives, who are trying to make a living and trying to find ways to take care of their families. It’s a nation where, again, there are people who are protesting and literally willing to give their lives to see this country change in the future, but it’s also still a country where people in their own way are continuing to work and live their lives. I get asked all the time if I feel safe. Look, without a doubt, we feel safe here — the people are warm, they’re welcoming. Their hope for the future is what is driving some of these issues. I think that issue is important for people to understand what it’s like here everyday.