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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 March 1999 Issue No. 422 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 March 1999 Issue No. 422
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Germany all the way
By Inas MazharA last-second goal helped Germany win the final of the World Handball Cup, beating Russia 23-22 to clinch the 1999 title. Egypt finished third in its group, failing to reach even the semi-finals of the eight-nation tournament. Hosts Sweden beat France 34-25 to clinch third place. In the semi-finals, the Germans beat the Swedes in front of their home fans 21-19, while Russia eked out a 25-24 win against France.
The championship was staged jointly by Norway and Sweden. The semi-finals and finals were held in Gothenburg. The eight countries were divided into two groups. Sweden, France, Hungary and Iceland played in group A in Gothenburg while group B, made up of Egypt, Russia, Germany and Norway, played in Oslo.
Though the Germans led for long stretches of the final, Russia managed to draw twice in the last five minutes. But with just two seconds remaining, Germany snatched the winner. The victory underlined Germany as a new superpower in the sport after spending several years in the doghouse, unable to even qualify for the 1997 World Championship in Japan. It was the second time Germany beat Russia in the championship. In the first round, Germany came out on top 25-22.
Egypt's performance was not nearly as dominant. Though the Egyptians began by drawing 22-22 with defending world champions Russia and edging Norway 22-21, they lost to eventual champions Germany 21-16 and were knocked out of the first stage. In the battle for fifth and sixth place, Egypt lost to Iceland 25-27. Against Russia, Egypt maintained a one-goal lead throughout most of the second half but a last-minute penalty levelled the score. Against Norway, Egypt led by up to four goals but thanks to repeated fouls, the Norwegians narrowed the gap and were poised to either tie or win outright. Only some strong defensive work by Egypt preserved the win.
By the time Egypt played Germany, the latter notched four points from two victories over Russia and Norway, while Egypt had garnered three points. Inexplicably, Egypt's game fell apart against the Germans, playing one of its worst games in memory. The loss rang alarm bells back home, where Egypt is grouped with Germany in the world championships which Egypt will host starting in June.
According to Hassan Mustafa, president of the Egyptian Handball Federation, Egypt benefited from its participation in the championship. "It was part of our programme and preparation for the world championships. We did not want to win the title. We found it a golden opportunity to play as many matches as we could, to train hard and to gain more experience by meeting other teams, especially when they are the top in the world," Mustafa said.
Mustafa was philosophical in defeat. "Our defeat against Germany doesn't mean that we will lose the world championship or that we are going downhill. Each match has its own circumstances. Today's winner might be tomorrow's loser, and who knows, any team from the top 10 can surprise all and win the championship."
He said management had taken into account that the team had a new coach, Yugoslav Branislav Pokrajac, who replaced the Spaniard Javier Cuesta just days before the championship. "He is still new with the team," Mustafa said of Pokrajac. "He needs time to transfer his ideas and vision to the team. We are entering a new and different stage and we have to be patient."
Mustafa did promise that Egypt would do well at the world championship and called on the game's fans to back the team and strongly support it when it starts playing in handball's biggest event. Mustafa asked the fans to be confident in the team, despite November's loss in the African championship, a huge blow to Egypt, which is ranked sixth in the world. "The players suffered a lot. They lost confidence in themselves and in their former coach," Mustafa said. "We need to help these young men to regain there confidence. We got them a new coach and that should help. We cannot judge them now because 10 days are not enough to judge a team with a new coach."
Most teams that played in Norway and Sweden will be playing in the world championship. Egypt and Germany are in group B, while Russia, Hungary and Norway are in group C and France and Sweden in group D. "So the coaches of these teams definitely did not give their all in this championship," Mustafa said. "They have hidden some cards for future use." But he added that the one thing they didn't hide was in trying all their players.
During World Cup games, Khaled Mortagy, manager of the national team, gave out some free publicity on Egypt. Speaking into a microphone, he invited the Norwegian and Swedish fans watching the games in Oslo and Gothenburg to come to Egypt, watch the matches, support their teams and enjoy visiting the touristic and historic sites and the sunshine.
Egypt's final preparations for the World Cup were announced in Sweden. The players will rest until the beginning of April then will start an intensive training programme from 1-11 April. Three days off will follow. The players will then gather once more from 14 April until the end of the month when they will play in the Al-Ahram International Handball Championship, which ends on 30 April. Four friendly matches will take place from 14 to 24 May in Cairo; two against Denmark and two versus Yugoslavia. .
