4 - 10 January 2001
Issue No.515
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 4 - 10 January 2001 Issue No.515 |
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For the record
Hossam Hassan, the 34-year-old bad boy of Egyptian soccer, will soon go down in the history books for something much more than his famed temper tantrums. If all goes according to the script, Hassan will equal German Luthar Matthaus' record of 150 caps if he plays for his team in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates on 6 January. A record-breaking 151st cap could come just three days later in a second friendly against Zambia in Cairo. Despite the publicity surrounding the feat, Hassan's feet remain planted firmly on the turf.
Hassan is on the verge of making history
photo: Osama Abdel-Nabi
"I never thought about it or even cared to count my matches," Hassan, who won his 149th cap last October, said. "I used to concentrate on training and playing and that's it. I always believed that statistics was someone else's job. Anyway, I'm thrilled. It's great to break the world record and become one of the world's celebrities."
"However, this is going to put more pressure on me. I feel it's going to be a great responsibility but I wouldn't let either my country or my fans down."
Egypt has a hectic schedule of matches in January. Besides meeting the UAE and Zambia, it plays Libya in an African Nations Cup qualifying match as it seeks to qualify for the next finals in Mali in 2002. It will take part in a four-team tournament in Tehran and also play a first-ever friendly against North Korea. The Egyptians then have a key World Cup qualifier against Morocco as they seek to reach the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and Korea next year.
Hassan, the national team captain, was in the Egyptian squad at their last FIFA World Cup finals appearance in Italy in 1990 where the Pharaohs put up an impressive show, drawing with The Netherlands 1-1, before narrowly failing to get past the first round. Coach Mahmoud El-Gohari was in charge during that campaign and is back at the helm of the Egyptian side, having kept faith all these years with the balding striker from Cairo.
Hassan made his debut 15 years ago as a teenage starter in a friendly against Norway in Oslo but had to wait almost two years for a regular berth on the national side. He played at the African Nations Cup finals in 1986, when Egypt won at home, and scored seven goals in 1998 -- tying him for top goal-getter in the championship -- as Egypt again took the continental title. But Hassan could have notched up quite a few more caps had he not been dropped during the era of Dutch coach Ruud Krol, who left him out of the 1996 finals in South Africa.
Hassan has scored more than 50 times for his country, his latest goal coming in his last appearance, a 1-0 away win over Sudan in the African Nations Cup qualifying campaign.
Hassan shows no signs of quitting the game. "I want to continue playing as many caps as I can and score as many goals as I can." However, his on-the-pitch battles with players and referees have more than once threatened to end his career. A simmering row with his coach forced him and twin brother Ibrahim, also a member of the FIFA century club, to abandon their long-standing club Ahli for arch-rivals Zamalek in mid-year in an unprecedented move that had Egyptian soccer aghast.
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