What happened to the Egyptian child "Makary Younan", and was he excluded because of his religion?

Image caption, The child Makary Younan

Published 3 hours ago

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The name of the child "Makary Younan" topped social media platforms in Egypt over the past two days, after posts circulated discussing his exclusion from the Al-Ittihad Alexandria Club youth trials, with claims that the reason for the exclusion was his Christian religion, which sparked a wide wave of controversy and interaction.

The story began after the child's mother published her account via social media, stating that her 13-year-old son Makary participated in the club's youth trials, and that one of the coaches praised his technical level before the situation changed — according to her account — after knowing his name.

The mother added in her post, which was later deleted, that the same coach told her son "this name doesn't work for us," considering that what happened carried suspicions of discrimination, which left her son in a state of sadness and tears.

Image caption, A post by the mother of the child Makary Younan which she later deleted

Great controversy

The statements attributed to the mother opened the door to widespread controversy over whether the child was actually excluded because of his religion, or whether he simply failed to pass the trials like many children who apply for youth trials in various clubs and are not lucky enough to pass those tests.

The controversy escalated significantly within hours, as some social media users considered what happened to be an episode in a series of persecutions of Christians in the field of Egyptian football.

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Others also demanded the registration of Christian players on the Egyptian Football Association's roster, following the incident involving the child Makary.

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In contrast, some believed that the incident did not involve any religious discrimination, and that what happened was merely a joke by the coach with the child about his name to relieve pressure on him.

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Image caption, A post on social media platforms

Some also criticized the campaign, considering it to be groundless, arguing that there are football clubs owned by Christian businessmen, which gives them the ability to prevent "alleged" discrimination.

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For his part, the prominent businessman Naguib Sawiris, who owns a football club in Egypt, commented, saying that there is a deeply ingrained culture in many people resulting from poor education and extremism, and that children must be taught to accept others regardless of religion or race.

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Actions following pressure

After the controversy escalated on social media, the Ministry of Youth and Sports issued a statement clarifying that the minister directed an investigation into the incident, confirming that the ministry would take decisive measures against the person responsible for the incident if proven true, according to a ministry statement.

Meanwhile, officials of Al-Ittihad Alexandria Club issued statements categorically denying the truth of the circulating accusations, stressing that the selection of players is made according to technical criteria only, and that what was raised about the existence of religious discrimination is "baseless," emphasizing that the club includes players from various backgrounds without differentiation.

The head of the youth sector at Egypt's Al-Ittihad Alexandria Club confirmed the acceptance of the child "Makary Younan", after he was previously excluded.

The head of the club's youth sector explained that the matter did not involve any offense to the child, but rather was intended as a joke by the coach, and that the player's crisis was blown out of proportion.

Image caption, The acceptance of the child Makary into the ranks of Al-Ittihad Alexandria Club

Controversy continues despite resolving the crisis

Despite Al-Ittihad Alexandria Club's decision to accept the player into the youth ranks and announce the signing of the contract, controversy still continues on social media platforms.

Some users pointed out that there is an entrenched persecution crisis that must be resolved from its roots so that the incident does not happen again, whether in football or other fields.

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On the other hand, signing the player was not satisfactory to others, who considered that choosing him after the pressure could cast doubt on the selection criteria because he might be undeserving on a technical and physical level.

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