In the heart of the Bernabéu: Who has the final say at Real Madrid, the coach or the influential figures?
The term “Futuwa” in Egyptian literature, especially with Naguib Mahfouz, was not just a formal or social description, but an expression of the absolute, informal power that controlled the Egyptian neighborhood during the era of the monarchy.
In Mahfouz’s famous trilogy, and novels like “The Harafish,” the Futuwa appeared as an informal ruler of the neighborhood, a person who does not have an official mandate, but enjoys real influence and whose orders are carried out more than the orders of the police themselves.
The Futuwa does not raise his voice to be heard, nor does he need a written decision to be implemented, because his authority is derived from fear, respect, and collusion around him.
And if Mahfouz recorded this phenomenon in the neighborhoods of Cairo, then Real Madrid witnessed a contemporary version of “the rule of the Futuwat” inside the dressing room during the era of Xabi Alonso, where the coach was not the only decision-maker, but was surrounded by three influential players, in addition to a disgruntled captain on the verge of explosion.
