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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Money for national team
AFTER meeting with El-Dahshouri Harb, chairman of the Egyptian Football Federation, Youth Minister Dr Aliyiddin Hilal granted LE3 million to the national soccer team -- which will defend its African title in the African Nations Cup next January in Ghana and Nigeria.The major issue of the meeting, which lasted for more than four hours, was the contract of the team's technical manager, Gerard Gili, whose efficiency has recently been called into question. Hilal expressed his full support for the team in its mission to defend the African title.
Ahli resorts to FIFA
AHLI has filed a petition with world football governing body FIFA concerning incidents during its match with Al-Raga of Morocco in the African championship.Ahli took this action after the African Football Federation (CAF) rejected Ahli's request to replay its match against Al-Raga after the latter played with 12 players for less than a minute.
Although the CAF turned down Ahli's request, Somali Farah Addo, chief of the African Referee Committee, has prohibited the match's referee, Karim Daho, from refereeing in the African Nations Championship next January. Moreover, Addo has suspended Daho's assistant referee in the match, Hani Al-Tayeb, for six months, after the CAF found him guilty of assisting Al-Raga. He was penalised for passing a ball about to go out of play back into the field to a Moroccan player.
Doping charges
FORMER Olympic champion sprinter Linford Christie, who still runs semi-professionally, could be banned for two years for alleged drug use. The 39-year-old's positive test for nandrolone has been referred by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) council to its arbitration panel.Christie tested positive for the anabolic steroid at an indoor meeting in Dortmund, Germany, last February.
In a separate development, former German Olympic champion Dieter Baumann has also tested positive for nandrolone. The German has always fought against doping in athletics, but has been suspended by his country's athletics federation as traces of the controversial steroid appeared in two samples of his urine taken during the past five weeks.
Tyson bounces back
FORMER heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will return to the ring on 15 January in either the United Kingdom or Germany. His opponent, however, is yet to be decided.It will be the first fight for Tyson since his 23 October no-contest, when opponent Orlin Norris injured his right knee hitting the canvas and could not continue after being hit by a Tyson punch delivered after the bell ending the first round.
Meanwhile, Lennox Lewis is eager to defend his undisputed heavyweight title against Tyson, because "it is the most exciting fight out there."
However, a Lewis-Tyson fight is far from imminent and is not expected before the end of next year at the earliest.
Agassi's early millennium push
A WIN in the millennium's last major tennis tournament would provide a fitting conclusion to Andre Agassi's bubbly year. The world number one, already assured of finishing 1999 in top spot, entered the lucrative ATP tour world championship, which started last Tuesday in Hannover, Germany, as the overwhelming favourite.Garza defends title
NESTOR Garza of Mexico regained the World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight title last Sunday after stopping Kozo Ishii of Japan in the 12th round and scoring his first knockdown. Garza floored Ishii with a left hook. After getting up, Garza unleashed a flurry of punches, prompting referee Erzo Montero of Venezuela to end the bout at two minutes and 30 seconds in the 12th and final round.It was Garza's second defence of the title which he won from Enrique Sanchez of Mexico in Indio, California, with a unanimous decision on 12 December 1998.
Sumo showdown
HAWAIIAN-born Musashimaru threw down fellow yokozuna (grand champion) Takanohana to win the 15-day Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament with a 12-3 record last Sunday. It was 28-year-old Musashimaru's seventh tournament victory and his second in a row. He received the 10 million yen ($94,000) tournament victory prize.Wrestling at the Fukuoka Kokusai Centre, Takanohana tried hard to drive his larger rival out of the ring, but Musashimaru withstood, eventually flipping Takanohana onto his back after a fight that lasted about a minute. A sumo bout usually ends in 10 to 15 seconds.
