Nubian activists are planning to hold a demonstration outside the Ministry of Youth on Thursday evening, in protest against the offensive remarks made by the head of Zamalek Sports Club Mortada Mansour during a TV interview about a former club player, Ahmed Marghany, who belongs to the community.
The activists are planning to raise the slogan “No to insults against Nubians” during their protest. In a meeting on Saturday, they released a statement disclosing plans to bring Mansour to court over the racist remarks.
Marghany, a former Zamalek SC winger who left the squad in 2013, was recently ousted by his latest club, Premier League side Wadi Degla, over a tweet in which he criticized Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s performance in face of recent terrorist attacks against army forces in Sinai.
“You are a failure and you are to blame for every drop of blood in this country”, Marghany tweeted on his account.
He was invited to a programme on the satellite Dream TV on Friday, during which veteran Egyptian soccer stars made phone-ins, voicing their disapproval of his tweet, which they deemed derogatory to the president.
But the fiercest contribution came from Mansour, an influential celebrity lawyer known for his frequent media appearances, belligerent rhetoric and his pro-regime stance.
“This is an impolite kid; a servant; a doorman”, Mansour ranted during his phone call, referring to Marghany.
His words have stirred an outcry among the Nubian community, as he mentioned two professions frequently held by older generations of Nubians.
Mansour, however, later denied having said anything offensive to the Nubian community, saying that he holds “all respect and love for Nubians”, and adding that he was not aware that Marghany was Nubian.
“Whoever wants to sue me, be my guest, I am unfazed”, Mansour stated in the phone interview.
