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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 May 1999 Issue No. 429
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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 Books Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Just a hairline away
By Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
Two more victories next week and Ittihad will be crowned the new kings of basketball. Experts and fans alike agree that the Alexandria club, the 1995 league and cup champions, are virtual shoo-ins to win this year's crown. All Ittihad must do is win two of its remaining four games. The victims will most likely be a relatively weak Arab Contractors and Zamalek, defending league and cup champion for the past two years but this year languishing in fourth place.
Ahli and Ittihad players scrambling for a loose ball photo: Hussein Fathi
To add to the celebrations, Ittihad will play Gezira for the cup in the hopes of achieving a double.
On its way to reaching the threshold of victory, Ittihad has had to stay atop its group in a gruelling season schedule whose format was changed this year. Ten clubs challenged for the league title. Following 18 home and away matches, the first five clubs then played a round-robin tournament four times, each time in a different province in an attempt to boost the popularity of the game at the grass-roots level. The first round was played in Suez, the second in the Nile Delta city of Shebin Al-Kom and the third in Alexandria. The fourth round will be played from 13-18 May at Cairo's Military College. Ittihad finished first in the first three rounds, followed each time by Ahli and Gezira. Two more wins in the fourth round and the title is theirs.
"It's one of the strongest tournaments I've ever seen," said Mohamed Ali Mahmoud, head of the Egyptian Basketball Federation. Few would disagree.
Ittihad beat Ahli 83-69 in Alexandria in the final game of the third round to put it in a commanding overall position. "Technically they played well," Shaaban Ibrahim, Ittihad's technical manager, said following the victory that virtually sewed up the championship. "They perfected the three-pointer. They understood each other well and played fast and with power." Ibrahim added that it was an advantage to have most of his players tall and experienced.
Alexandria, known for its fanatical basketball fans, has delayed celebrating its championship title until the fourth round games and cup final are played. However, the city couldn't wait, celebrating the win over Ahli until the early hours of the morning.
