(Reuters) - Bidding farewell to the World Cup after disappointing performances by their national team, Egyptian soccer fans have decided to ease their pain by turning the tournament's iconic trophy into a hookah pipe.
Egypt may have finished bottom of their group, but Belal Mahmoud, watching the World Cup in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, said if his team could not hold the trophy then he would hold a life-size replica instead.
"We were not able to win the real World Cup, so we just got it as a shisha (hookah), Ramadan lantern and whichever way we can," he said.
The trophy-shaped hookah is made of gold-coloured plaster and can accommodate heat.
It has been a big hit in cafes around Egypt and is now being exported to other neighbouring countries where the hookah is popular.
(Writing by Andrew Downie; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
