One of Egypt’s most renowned football players, Mahmoud Mokhtar Refaee, nicknamed “El-Tetsh,” was born in Cairo’s Sayeda Zienab district and began playing the sport as a school boy, excelling as a striker at a level beyond his peers. He continued to compete while he earned his Bachelor’s of Law, joining the Al-Ahly Sporting Club in 1922. In his first game, an international match for Egypt’s Sultan Cup against an English aviation squad, he scored the winning goal in his country’s 2-1 victory. At the age of only 17 he became captain of both Al-Ahly and the Egyptian National Team and was sent with them to the 1924 Summer Olympics. As this was at the same time as his law exams, however, his father at first refused to send his son abroad, fearing for his future. A decree from Egyptian Prime Minster Saad Zaghloul after a personal appeal, however, permitted him to take the exams abroad, allowing El-Tetsch to join the squad in Paris. In the end it did not matter, however, as he is not recorded as having played in either of the team’s two games at the tournament. He appeared twice more at the Olympics, finishing fourth with his squad at the 1928 Games and joint ninth at the 1936 edition. Internationally, he scored four goals at the 1928 Olympics and five in the qualifiers to earn Egypt their first appearance at the 1934 World Cup in Italy. He retired from the sport in 1940, at the height of his career, so that he would always be remembered at his prime. He took up field hockey as a hobby and managed Al-Ahly for a while prior to serving as the secretary-general of the Egyptian Olympic Committee from 1956-59. Mokhtar El-Tetsch Stadium in Cairo, the home of Al-Ahly for many years, was named in his honor.
Egypt