By: Abdelrahman Magdy Mohamed, Mohamed Sameh Mohamed, Aser wael youssef

Under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Hanan Gunaid, Faculty Dean and Vice Dean for Community Service and Environmental Development, the Department of Public Relations and the English Section organized a symposium this afternoon, Sunday, March 19, on the role of the media in confronting intolerance, rejecting violence and supporting national belonging, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dalia Muhammad Abdullah, Head of Department of Public Relations and Advertising, and Prof. Dr. Nermin Azraq, Head of the English Section. On the sidelines of the seminar EMCCU TODAY had the opportunity to interview Mr. Ahmed Abdel Basset, journalist and sports critic.

What is your opinion about the role of the Faculty of Mass Communication in confronting sports fanaticism?

I see that the Faculty of Mass Communication is the source of broadcasters and media professionals, so it has a major role in establishing its students from the beginning on the importance of moving away from sports fanaticism so that in the future they can advise and guide people to stop sports fanaticism. I see that the issue of moving away from sports fanaticism is one of the important topics to be tackled in awareness campaigns and graduation projects social campaigns to have a role in the society to fight this phenomenon.
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Have you ever been a fanatic of your favorite team?

I see that by my nature, as a journalist, I am required to cover the news of the national team and the Egyptian Football Association, so my first affiliation is with the national team, and that I do not side with any of the Egyptian League clubs... But when one of the Egyptian clubs represents Egyptian football outside the country, I encourage and support it. I am biased towards my country I see that the only loser from intolerance is the intolerant person

What advice do you want to give to social media users to reduce the phenomenon of sports fanaticism?

The importance of judging the mind in every opinion or comment that I publish so that it does not create a kind of nervousness or hatred for the counter audience.
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