Today marks the anniversary of the loss of the legendary commentator Ali Ziyouar, known for his unique catchphrases.
Today, Wednesday, October 8, we commemorate the passing of the great sports commentator Mohamed Ali Ziywar, a former Al Ahly star and one of the most prominent voices in sports commentary in Egypt, who left us on October 8, 2005, at the age of 83, after a career filled with achievements in the fields of sports, commentary, and management.
The Career of Ali Ziywar
Ali Ziywar was born on March 22, 1922, and earned a Bachelor of Military Sciences in 1946. He began his career as a player with Al Ahly during the 1940s before retiring from football in 1949. He then moved into refereeing and later took on an administrative role within the Red Castle, serving as the football director at Al Ahly from 1958 to 1966.
Ziywar began his journey in sports commentary in 1959 and continued in this field for many years until his health deteriorated in his later years, prompting him to retire in the 1990s.
Ali Ziywar: The Sheikh of Commentators
Ali Ziywar is considered one of the most prominent stars of the "golden age" of sports commentary, with his true fame beginning in the early 1970s. He was known for his unique style and many phrases that remained etched in the minds of Egyptian football fans, such as: "I'm not feeling good about this match," "We are the language people," "What sweetness is this," "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy," in addition to his famous phrase "What a deliciousness this is."
Among the amusing incidents in the career of the Sheikh of Commentators, Ziywar himself recounts an incident while commenting on a women's football match, when he spoke about one of the players saying: "This free kick will be taken by Sara, and by the way, Sara is carrying two subjects in the General Secondary, God willing, may He grant her success and she enters college."
Ali Ziywar's name is also associated with a famous incident during his commentary on the World Cup matches in Spain, when he pronounced the name of Brazilian star Falcão in a distinctive way, which led the late sports critic Nagib Al-Mustakawi to criticize him for it. However, Ziywar stood by his opinion, asserting that he is "one of the language people" and knows how to pronounce player names.
Ali Ziywar remains in the memory of Egyptian football fans thanks to his unique personality and distinctive commentary style, becoming one of the most prominent voices associated with the memories of entire generations of game lovers.
