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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 February - 3 March 1999 Issue No. 418 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 February - 3 March 1999 Issue No. 418
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Losing and liking it
In Hong Kong, Egypt was blanked by Mexico 3-0 in the final of a four-nation tournament. Egypt's first game in the championship began in grand style as it thrashed Bulgaria 3-1, but the euphoria was short-lived. The loss to Mexico, the worst defeat suffered by the team since winning the African Nations Cup a year ago, brought to the fore one big question: What will happen when Egypt plays Mexico in the Confederations Cup, scheduled to be held in Mexico in the summer. Egyptian coach Mahmoud El-Gohary did not seem overly concerned and, in fact, claimed the loss was part of his master plan. "This was part of my tactics," El-Gohary said after the game. "The players carried out my plan perfectly. I meant it. I didn't want the Mexicans to know everything about our strong and weak points. It won't do us any good if they know everything about us. This wasn't an official match. It was a friendly game." He added that one advantage such friendlies offer is the opportunity to try all your players. However, El-Gohary conceded that, while he expected to lose, he did not expect to lose that badly. The absence of foreign-based players Ahmed Hassan and Hazem Emam from the final also contributed to the defeat but the general impression here was that Mexico, a World Cup finalist several times, was simply too strong.
Ahli's Ayman Abdel-Hamid, best goalie
in the tournament
Mexico led 2-0 at the half and sealed the victory with an 88th minute penalty. Fullback Ibrahim Hassan was shown the red card early in the second half for a rough tackle.
Mexico's flamboyant goalkeeper Jorge Campos was forced to return to Mexico following reports that his father, 65-year-old Alvaro, had been kidnapped in Acapulco by unidentified gunmen and was being held for ransom.
A shot from the Ahli-Gazer match
Another disappointment was to befall the national under-17 team, who were eliminated from the African Nations Cup after losing to Burkina Faso 3-2 on penalties in Ouagadougou in the return leg. Burkina Faso had held Egypt to a goalless draw in Port Said two weeks ago. Following another sterile draw in Wagadougou, Egypt's juniors wilted under the pressure of the decisive penalty kicks, shooting three shots wide of the goal and losing a place in the African Cup, scheduled to take place in Guinea in May.
The Olympic football team fared slightly better when it played to a 1-1 tie with Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Riyadh. The game was in preparation for Egypt's upcoming first-leg match against South Africa in April in the All-Africa Games qualifying stage. The players will then resume play with their club in the league championship which restarts following a two-week break.
Consolation for Egyptian football fans came in the Third International LG Championship, won by Ahli. The club received a $30,000 cheque for winning the four-nation tournament, hosted by Egypt for the first time. Runners up Staua Bucharest of Romania received $15,000. Gazer of Hungary and a local club, the Arab Contractors, finished third and fourth respectively. .
