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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 May 2000 Issue No. 483
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Winning by default?
By Abeer AnwarFor three years, Zamalek failed to win any major volleyball crown, at any age group, all the titles going to Ahli. So desperate had the situation become that supporters and experts were unanimous in the belief that only a vanishing act by Ahli would allow Zamalek to regain a toehold in the sport. That's just about what happened.
Citing commitments with the national team, six of whom come from Ahli, Ahli bowed out of the national cup tournament, a godsend that Zamalek pounced on. But the final, which put Tersana, another club that has seen better days, on the other side of the net, was anything but a walk in the park for Zamalek. The 3-0 score, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18 showed that while Zamalek was never seriously threatened, Tersana gave its opponent a run for its money.
So euphoric was Zamalek after the win, which came only three weeks after Zamalek came up empty-handed from the volleyball league, that Azmi Megahed, a club board member and experienced volleyball player himself, got so caught up in the spirit of the moment, he could not help descending from the stands onto the court to share in his team's victory celebrations.
"The players were not concentrating because the very thought of getting so close to the cup was in itself a problem," Mohamed El-Lakani, Zamalek's coach, said. "They were just too charged up."
"I think the players did all they could," Mohamed Shawqi, Tersana's coach, said. Shawqi said his team was playing at half strength with two of the key players on duty with the national team and their substitutes not quite at the same level. "We depended mainly on six players." So demanding has been the national team that Tersana's assistant coach, Sami Ibrahim, had also been called up for national duty.
"We were determined to win the cup to make up for our league title loss so we did our best," Emad Nasr, 34, Zamalek's captain, said. Nasr said he had changed his mind about retiring after the cup became Zamalek's. "I feel I can still play and give my team a lot so I decided to continue."
"We're always unlucky in the final match," said Zamalek star Ahmed Kamal. "But this time we wanted to put an end to our losing streak. Ahli's absence was a golden chance for us, but even if it had played I think we would have won."
Shams came third in the cup after beating Al-Geish three sets to two (25-20, 25-23, 25-27, 19-25, 15-8).
Back to the national team, currently preparing for the Sydney Olympics, Ibrahim Fakhreddin has chosen 16 players who are training at the Maadi Olympic Centre after which they will fly next week to Portugal and the Czech Republic for a number of friendlies. Russia, Italy, Cuba, Australia, the US, Brazil, Korea, Yugoslavia and Egypt have qualified for the Games. Three more participants have yet to be decided.
