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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 March 1999 Issue No. 421
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Welcome back
By Inas MazharThe last time Zamalek's Hossam Gharieb played on the national team was in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. "After that," Gharieb related to the Weekly, "I was put on the sidelines. The trainers claimed that my level of play had gone down and that I was too old. They said they wanted new blood. That was their decision and I respected it."
Gharieb, 33, was one of three former national team players who were recalled this week to represent their country once again. The reunion could not have come at a more critical time. Egypt is currently playing in the world cup in Norway while in June, the country will host the even more important world championship. The presence of experienced ex-team players could make the difference between winning and losing.
Gharieb's career was salvaged when former national coach Gamal Shams asked him to play for one month with the Gezira club of the Emirates whom he trains and was preparing for the Arab club Champions League. "He told me that he needed me and my experience and promised me that he would make me fit." Gharieb recalled.
"And it was true," Gharieb said. "Shams arranged a special one-month intensive training programme for me in the Emirates. I lost weight and I returned to peak form." In the tournament, Gharieb helped Gezira to their best results ever.
Back in Egypt, Gharieb returned to Zamalek and, with renewed confidence, was named best player in both the league and cup tournaments as Zamalek won the league championship for the first time in six years. Two weeks later, Gharieb hoisted the cup trophy. The same trainers who had given Gharieb the thumbs down nearly a year earlier were forced to call him back to the national team. Gharieb's fairy tale story ends with him now as the team's captain in the world championship in Egypt next June.
For Ahmed Bilal and Ahmed El-Attar, their comeback stories are no less inspirational. Bilal played one season in Spain, another in Saudi Arabia and is now plying his trade in Turkey. El-Attar played one season in Portugal and currently plays in Saudi Arabia.
"The story of El-Attar and myself is different," said Bilal, who celebrated his 31st birthday in Oslo last Friday. After the 1997 world championship in Japan, the last time they played on the national team, Bilal and El-Attar received offers to play abroad. "We had never gotten such an opportunity before because the federation didn't want to send us anywhere," Bilal said. "But we said it was time." Bilal received an offer from Spain while El-Attar was sought by a club in Portugal. The federation grudgingly accepted to part with them but, according to Bilal, behind the scenes it was being whispered that they were washed up as players. "But if our performance had dropped, why did we receive offers to play abroad? That was proof that we were still high-quality players," Bilal said.
The news coming from abroad about the players and the success they had with their respective teams forced the Egyptian Handball Federation to call them back. "I received a telephone call from national coach Karim Mourad and the president of the federation," El-Attar, 31, said. "They told me that they needed my experience and talent with the team for the coming championship. I couldn't refuse because it meant that they still believed in my abilities and admitted that I was capable of playing."
Back on the national team, all three admitted they will need time to adjust to playing with their teammates. They agreed as well that they all have one target: to please Egyptian fans and rewrite the history books in the coming world championship.
