Are football and politics compatible, at least in today’s Tunisia? It is still too early to decide although king sport and politics have always been intimately linked.
The appointments of Ridha Charfeddine, president of the Etoile Sportive du Sahel, head of the list of Nidaa Tounes in Sousse, and Moncef Sellami, former president of the Sfaxian sports club in Sfax 2 under the same banner show how well the political parties intend to bet on the popular bases of clubs to harvest votes.
By focusing on two popular candidates in their cities and in their clubs, Nidaa Tounes hopes to shoot the big lot by ensuring the votes of young and unconditional star fans and Sfaxian clubists.
Football and politics have always been intimately linked and this relationship is not ready to stop. The deputy for the Democratic Alliance, Mehdi Ben Gharbia is also president of the athletic club Bizertin. His colleague at the ANC, Mahmoud Boudi is spokesperson for Grombalia Sport.
After the 2011 elections, Slim Riahi (Free Patriotic Union) became president of the African club. As for Slaheddine Zahaf, foreign to politics before January 14, 2011 has since become deputy to the ANC …
Political flirt
Under Bourguiba, the examples were also numerous. Azzouz Lasram (African club), Hassen Belkhouja (Es tunis) or Hamed Karoui (Star of the Sahel) were presidents of their club and ministers. But it was another era when everything was dictated by designations.
Football, a popular sport par excellence in Tunisia, has always flirted with politics and vice versa. One way, for power, to keep your hands on clubs with an impressive popular base.
Today, the situation is reversed since political parties see it as an opportunity that can lead them to the peaks of power.
