Mustafa Mansour Explained

Mustafa Mansour
Fullname:Mustafa Kamel Mansour
Birth Date:2 August 1914
Birth Place:Cairo, Egypt
Death Place:Cairo, Egypt
Position:Goalkeeper
Clubs1:Al Ahly
Years2:1937–1939[1]
Clubs2:Queen's Park
Caps2:41
Goals2:0
Nationalteam1:Egypt
Managerclubs1:Al Ahly

Mustafa Kamel Mansour (2 August 1914 – 24 July 2002) was an Egyptian footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Egypt at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He is also notable for being one of the first non-British or Irish players to play in the Scottish leagues.[2]

Playing career

Born in Cairo, Egypt, Mansour played for Cairo-based club Al Ahly in his native country, where his performances earned him a selection for the 1934 World Cup in Italy. He played in Egypt's only game at the tournament, a 4–2 defeat to Hungary in the first round in Naples.[3] [4]

Mansour also played for Egypt at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.[5]

Egypt's coach at the World Cup had been a Scotsman, James McCrae, and he may have influenced Mansour's decision to move to Scotland in 1936 to attend Jordanhill College[6] alongside Mohamed Latif.[7] While studying in Glasgow, Mansour appeared for the famous amateur side Queens Park, becoming their regular goalkeeper upon the retirement of Desmond White (future chairman of Celtic) during the 1938–39 season.[8] [4]

Coaching career and later life

In the late thirties, "Tuffy" Mansour as he was known, was a popular adult leader in the 72nd Glasgow Scout Troop.

Mansour returned to Egypt when the Second World War broke out, where he would later manage former club Al Ahly, as well as become a government minister.[4]

He died in July 2002, at age 87.[9] [4] Only weeks before his death, he had given an interview to BBC Sport on their visit to Cairo in the run-up to the World Cup being held in Japan and South Korea that summer.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mansour, Mustafa Kamel . QPFC.com – A Historical Queen's Park FC Website. 12 September 2018 .
  2. Web site: Mustafa Mansour . Olympedia . 27 September 2021.
  3. News: The Flying Egyptian. BBC Sport. 3 May 2002.
  4. Web site: People: Mustafa Kamel Mansour . QPFC.com – A Historical Queen's Park FC Website. 12 September 2018 .
  5. Web site: Sports Reference. Moustafa Kamel Mansour Biography and Statistics. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418003234/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/moustafa-kamel-mansour-1.html. dead. 18 April 2020. 6 August 2009.
  6. News: Palestine & the World Cup Bankies Glory Days More Inter-League. Scottishleague.Net.
  7. Book: 'Race', Sport, and British Society. 38. Ben Carrington. Ian McDonald. Psychology Press. 9780415246293. 2001. 12 September 2018.
  8. News: Egyptian Mansour made his name known at Queen's Park. Evening Times Online. 14 December 2005.
  9. News: Shaheen. Amr. Trailblazing keeper Mansour dies. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 July 2002.