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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 23 - 29 November 2000 Issue No.509
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Sharqiya sticks out
By Abeer AnwarLongevity is the name of Sharqiya's game. This governorate boasts precious little in the way of sports except a field hockey team that just goes on and on and on.
The status quo remained undisturbed last week after Sharqiya finished in first place at the conclusion of the African Cups for Clubs championship in Alexandria. The winner of 12 of the last 13 continental championships, Sharqiya ended up with 16 points, three more than Egypt's Sayadin. On its way to yet another trophy, Sharqiya edged Sayadin 2-1, then pounced on Zimbabwe's Sun Rise which found itself on the wrong end of the stick after being crushed 11-2. Other victims included Kenya's Armed Forces, 3-1 losers, Samouha, which was thrashed 5-0 and Ghana's Trusties, which went down 3-1. Only a 1-1 draw with South Africa's Technian prevented Sharqiya from a clean sweep.
Mohei Zaghlul, Sharqiya's coach, says the recipe for his team's success can be found in the preparatory stages. "We work very hard every year at keeping the African title," Zaghlul said, adding that this year was no exception. The squad trained on home ground for three months, used national league and cup tournaments to warm up, then flew to The Netherlands for nine friendlies against German and Dutch teams.
The deftly organised way in which Zaghlul and his predecessors have platooned the team has meant a monopoly on African club hockey championships in a manner few teams in any sport in any country have emulated. From 1988 to 2000, the club won every single African cup save one, a staggering achievement in a country which gives scant attention to the sport. Sharqiya came into its own after winning its first African championship in Cairo in January 1988 and has not looked back since. The one blemish on an otherwise perfect record was a 2-0 loss to Kenya's Armed Forces in 1998 in Namibia.
Hockey success in the governorate did not come by accident or overnight. The sport was introduced to Sharqiya in 1939 by a British physical fitness teacher working in Zagazig. Successive generations played the game in schools, churning out one star after another. In 1973, the first hockey district was formed in Sharqiya by Ali Khairallah Abdel-Sami'.
Frank Haaik, manager of the African championship, congratulated Egypt for its superb organisation. "Egypt has proven its success in organising such an event on a yearly basis and it is growing bigger and bigger. The hockey pitch is also fantastic. It's one of the best in the world." Maybe club Sharqiya is as well.
South Africa's Technian players surrounding Sharqiya's Ahmed Salah in the final match of the African Cup for Clubs Champions
photo: Mustafa Reda
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