By Maram Ahmed
The Egyptian National Football League, under the auspices of the Egyptian Federation of American Football, kicked off its seventh season of football – ENFL VII – in early May and will wind up this week with championship game, Egyptian Bowl VII.
The season has been full of surprises, as the teams were finally back on field for the first-time post COVID restrictions. Five teams were competing for this league title – the Eagles Athletic Club, Cairo Bears, Cairo Hellhounds, MSA Tigers and Cairo Wolves.
Throughout the regular season, every team has have shown great talent and hunger for the title. The Cairo Bears came back to the season, stronger again, with the determination to earn their first title. As they welcomed back import quarterback Torrance Brown, along with many talented players like Islam Mohamed and Ahmed Jihad on offense and Seif El Khouly and Mohamed Amin on defense, the Bears were unstoppable. The Bears topped the standings week after week. And they’ll now be competing in the Egyptian Bowl for the first time ever.
The Cairo Hellhounds, competing for their second title, came in strong as their quarterback Yassin Sherif displayed his talent and he was not only one of the best offensive players of the season, but also the passing leader of ENFL VII. To earn that title, he relied heavily on his wide receiver Haitham Abdelwarith who completed his third consecutive season without a single drop. Another memorable talent to keep an eye out for in the Hounds is Robert Raafat, who carried his team through the last week, kicking four field goals, one of which was for 48 yards. The Hounds, led by Khaled Bassiony, will be competing in the Egyptian Bowl this year.
For the first time ever, the Eagles Athletic Club have been losing games instead of winning almost everything in sight. And with common mistakes, the Eagles finished ENFL VII at the bottom of the standings for the first time in their history.
Both the MSA Tigers and Cairo Wolves have displayed great talent and performances. The Tigers defensive unit was remarkable. Led by Mohamed Arabi, they were able to earn wins over both the Bears and Hounds, but their records put them just short of being in the title game.
The Cairo Wolves also had many talented players, among them Fady Ayman, Karim Ayman and Abdelrahman Haggag who is considered one of the best special teams’ players in ENFL history. They’ve earned wins over the Tigers and Eagles, but the tie-breaker kept them from reaching Egyptian Bowl VII.
The Cairo Bears and Cairo Hellhounds will meet in Egyptian Bowl VII on Friday, the 2nd of July. With both teams hungry and ready, this championship is up for grabs, and we cannot predict who will take it home.