When Mohamed Salah joined Chelsea, Egyptian fans flooded the club’s social media. Chelsea responded quickly—launching a localized Arabic Facebook page and turning unprecedented fan engagement into a lucrative revenue stream and regional sponsorships.
Football clubs worldwide realized early on that social media could quantify and monetize their fanbases. The more engaged fans they attract, the higher their commercial value through sponsorships and merchandise sales. Chelsea FC’s case in Egypt is a textbook example of turning social buzz into sustainable business results.
Related reading: Arsenal’s rising popularity in Egypt
How Chelsea Capitalized on Egypt’s Social Media Frenzy
In early 2014, after Salah’s transfer, Chelsea noticed a surge of Egyptian comments on their global pages. Instead of ignoring them, they launched an Arabic Facebook page presented by Salah himself, instantly gaining over 1.5 million Arab fans.
Rather than creating new content from scratch, Chelsea adopted a smart “glocalization” strategy: they translated existing global posts for Arabic audiences, building affinity with new fans at low cost.
1. Launch of the Arabic Chelsea Facebook Page
The club began by celebrating Salah’s arrival with localized posts. One of these visuals alone garnered more than 20,000 likes and 473 shares, demonstrating untapped enthusiasm.
2. Seasonal Greetings That Resonate
Building on early success, Chelsea shared Arabic greetings for Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and the Islamic New Year. These posts generated massive buzz, earned media coverage, and strengthened their relationship with Middle Eastern fans.
3. Engaging Fans with Blues Infographics
To balance Salah-focused content, Chelsea posted interactive infographics covering the club’s history, achievements, and statistics. This shifted attention to the Chelsea brand itself and kept fans engaged beyond one player.
Arabic Strategy Delivers Big Results
By year-end 2014, the Arabic Chelsea Facebook page had grown from 1.5 million to 3.5 million fans, including 2.5 million Egyptians. This unprecedented growth encouraged Egyptian telecom giant Mobinil to partner with Chelsea as its official mobile service provider in Egypt.
Following the launch, Chelsea’s popularity ranking among Egyptian fans soared from 3rd to 1st place. In the broader Egypt social ranking of clubs, Chelsea rose from 7th to 2nd place—demonstrating the power of localized digital engagement.
Chelsea & Mobinil’s First Campaign
On January 20, 2015, Chelsea and Mobinil launched their first joint commercial activity: Mobinil customers could enter a draw to attend Chelsea vs PSG in the UEFA Champions League by sending “9” via SMS to 1111, effectively merging digital and mobile marketing strategies.
Full Case Study
Watch the complete Chelsea FC social media case study in the Middle East:
Chelsea’s Middle East strategy remains a benchmark for how sports clubs can build, engage, and monetize regional fanbases through smart social media localization.
