ICC Note:  Egypt’s national football team has no Coptic Christian players, although the sport is played by all Egyptians. Those Christians who try to make it to the upper leagues report discrimination, intimidation, and harassment because of their faith. This causes great frustration among many Christians who would like to pursue a career in football. It further feeds into the narrative that Christians are second class citizens in Egypt.           

05/21/2018 Egypt (Jakarta Post) –  Mina Bendary dreamed of becoming a professional footballer in Egypt, but found his Coptic Christian name was an insurmountable barrier in the Muslim-majority country.

Such discrimination prompted him to hang up his boots and instead establish an academy to protect the rights of Christian footballers.

He opened the “Je Suis” (“I am”) academy nearly three years ago in Alexandria, Egypt’s second city, where he now trains a group of players aged 15 to 27.

At 22, Bendary declares he is “the youngest football coach in Egypt”.

Wearing blue shirts depicting a football with a crown and a cross, the footballers race around the small pitch under the scorching midday sun.

The academy tries to offer solutions to Christians who “get rejected from teams they apply to as soon as they utter their names, regardless of their performance,” Bendary says.

“This happened in more than one club, which forced me to stop playing and to focus on solving the problem of Christians in football in Egypt.”

Bendary soon realized he was not alone in being asked to play under a Muslim name.

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For interviews with Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected].