Middle East Archive’s new book memorialises the region’s passion for football

Sometimes it seems that football has an ability to seep into everyday life like no other sport – people sucked into a quick kick-about on the street, happily setting themselves up for a 90-minute session sitting in front of a screen, and wardrobes full of jerseys, boots and more. This is something the Middle East Archive’s new photography book, Football, beautifully demonstrates; a lone fan in a living room cheering at a vintage box TV, a moment for prayer taken before a game kicks off, a cafe of faces glued to the screen in the corner. The book aims to shine a light on football culture in the MENA region – its dedicated fandoms, professional stars and grassroots players – while simultaneously challenging damaging perceptions of the region.

The Middle East Archive was born a few years ago, after its curator Romaisa Baddar found herself searching for a more honest representation of the region – something that felt all encompassing, and rich in narrative. “With the Middle East Archive I wanted to represent the region in a more accurate, light-hearted way on a platform that is accessible to a large number of people,” says Romaisa. “I see it as a source of news, educational and inspirational for anyone and everyone.”

Importantly, this representation actively countered the proliferation of damaging tropes in mainstream Western media. When Romaisa first began to centralise all the images she could find, she actively moved away from depictions of war or violence. “I was mainly inspired by a need to make a representation of the region that is not exclusively conflictual or destructive,” says Romaisa. “It wasn’t just about countering the prevailing narrative of conflict; it was also about showcasing everyday life and positivity in our cultures.” It’s obviously an approach that’s resonated – in the few years it’s been going, the page amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and a large, loyal community.

Romaisa’s dedication to spotlighting all corners of life and diversity of expression shines throughout the pages of the book, and she points us to a few of her favourite moments; a row of jerseys on a clothesline, swaying on sunlit rooftops; a team photo of a women’s team in Iran; a player celebrating a goal with a tribute to Gaza and Palestine. “Each image paints a vivid portrait of different expressions of the sport and its shared love in so many different spaces,” she says.

When it came to the design of the book, Romaisa’s aim was to work with a designer who was able to translate the “essence” of the project in a way that paid attention to the images, while also embodying the world of football. This ended up being Akaar Amin, the founder of Lack of Guidance, a football-inspired brand. “Hailing from the same region, Akaar and I collaborated closely to infuse crucial design elements that mirrored the dynamism and spirit of the game itself, seamlessly blending Arabic calligraphy and text to craft a visual narrative that captures the dynamic spirit of the game,” Romaisa says. The cover is particularly satisfying, the contrasting scripts and type treatment paired with the brown cloth binding, compliments the high-energy feeling of the mid-match central image.

The Football publication achieves its two core missions with striking results; to spotlight universality of passion surrounding football culture in the MENA region, while simultaneously challenging stereotypes of the area, and presenting a more nuanced perspective. “Ultimately, we aim for the book to serve as a catalyst for reimagining the narrative surrounding the Middle East and North Africa,” ends Romaisa.

Football follows two publications, a general archive compilation and An Archive of Love, which depicts romance on the streets of the MENA region.