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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 September 2000 Issue No. 498 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 September 2000 Issue No. 498
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Market full of goods
By Alaa ShahineHossam and Ibrahim Hassan, the mercurial twins, were at the centre of the blockbuster deal that raised millions of eyebrows. Mainstays of Ahli for a good 15 years, the brothers did the once unthinkable -- jumped to downtown rivals Zamalek. Both had threatened as much last year when clashes with German coach Reiner Tsobil over more playing time spilled into an open revolt. But it was thought at the time a bluff more than a genuine threat.
Although signing the duo cost Zamalek dearly -- LE1.2 million -- the impact has been immediate after the two helped Zamalek qualify for the Arab Cup Winners Cup Championship. In the qualifiers, held in Cairo last week, the twins proved that, at age 34, they still had some life left in them, much to the chagrin of their detractors. Ibrahim with his pinpoint crosses and Hossam with his two goals against Mariekh of Sudan and Al-Nasr of Saudi Arabia put paid to opinions that their time had passed. The coming of the brothers also instilled new confidence in Zamalek's players, not to mention the club's fans, something not seen in years. And despite the reputation Hossam and Ibrahim take to Zamalek as troublemakers with a temper, if they continue to play well, the deal can only strengthen the hand of Zamalek's managerial board as its members head for elections in March.
Added in Zamalek's shopping list was striker Walid Salah Abdel-Latif and midfielder Tamer Abdel-Hamid, both bought for LE1,250,000, and midfielder Al-Hassan Mohamed who was plucked from Misri for LE285,000.
Zamalek's roster this year will not include Ayman Abdel-Aziz who moved to Kocalispor of Turkey for $700,000 and Ismaili Kolibali, a Mali import, who goes to Fraiburg of Germany for $200,000. Still, Zamalek's spending spree has produced a legitimate threat to Ahli's seven-year hold on the league championship which had made the tournament exceptionally ho-hum.
While Zamalek enjoys a renaissance, the Ahli dynasty is beginning to crumble. Having cruised to one championship after another in the 1990's, the club has started to sink. Last week, team manager Thabit El-Batal and Tsobil, both accused of making the Hassans so miserable that they were forced to leave, were sacked, replaced respectively by Tarek Selim, a former club star and younger brother of president Saleh Selim, and Mukhtar Mukhtar, a prolific Ahli midfielder in the 1970s.
The Hassans were not the only players to abandon ship. Mohamed Farouk, one of Ahli's top scorers and lifesavers last year, flew to Ankara club in Turkey for $300,000.
Desperate to remain in contention, Ahli signed striker Khaled Bebo from Ismaili for LE550,000, and Ashraf Amin, a Suez defender, for LE375,000, but could not gain the services of Rami Said or Mohamed Sedik of the Arab Contractors.
Ismaili, the club everybody is keeping a close watch on after its surprising second-place finish, has tried to keep its winning formula intact. To a large extent it has succeeded, the big question mark hanging only on John Otaka, the league's top scorer with 17 goals who has made no secret of his desire to play in Europe. But Ismailia will not settle for less than $1 million from the deal and even then the club is hesitant, predicting how instrumental Otaka will be if they are to make a run at the title.
The club's major transfer deals were the signing of Maadin's defender Amr El-Dali and Aluminium striker Ibrahim Baarour, a player whose only claim to fame has been to score twice against Zamalek last season.
If anything, the transfer market this summer has proved that most of the club's promises about stability on their rosters as the season approaches was mere hot air. Maadin, as a case in point, discarded eight players and signed 11 others. So much for pledges.
