15 - 21 February 2001
Issue No.521
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 15 - 21 February 2001 Issue No.521 |
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Fair is fair
The result of the African Super Cup was fair to all concerned parties. Ghana's Hearts of Oak deserved to win and Zamalek of Egypt deserved not to. Hearts was the better side throughout, displaying a powerful and disciplined game and, fittingly, showing a lot of heart. Zamalek presented all the opposite features, in addition to a slowness of foot that had the players chasing shadows much of the afternoon.
Above all, mental lapses did Zamalek in -- committed by two usually standout players. Hearts' first goal was courtesy of a completely ill-timed advance by goalkeeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed, normally a trusted man between the posts. The second caught international right back Ibrahim Hassan napping. Hassan failed to mark a Hearts winger after believing the ball had crossed the sideline for an out. The ball stayed in play and before Hassan could regroup it was 2-0 and The End.
Hearts had no such problems. The players, veterans as well as newcomers, concentrated. Their mobility, one of the biggest features needed in today's game, was exceptional and in marked contrast to the clear lack of Zamalek's match fitness, the bane of Egyptian football. The Ghanaians' effort was slick and to the point. They demonstrated a flair for the attacking part of the game, constantly catching Zamalek's defenders wrong-footed and flat-footed. Had it capitalised on just a fraction of its chances in front of goal, Hearts' 2-0 victory could have ended in a rout.
But while the Kumasi outcome was fair, a recent decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is anything but fair. Up until last year, the Super Cup used to be played on neutral ground. That is no longer the case. This year, the CAF decided that the cup be played in the country whose team wins the African Champions League, which in this case is Hearts'. Naturally, the home advantage gives the title holders of the Champions League a clear edge in the Super Cup. But why, it must be asked, should the match not be played on the grounds of the club that wins the African Cup Winners' Cup, in this case Zamalek? The decision reflects clear bias on the part of CAF, for it is apparently taking the African Champions League more seriously than the Cup Winners' Cup.
This partiality is not only inexplicable; it is also surprising. Hearts and Zamalek are both headed for Spain in July as Africa's representatives in the World Club Champions. The CAF had originally decided that only the African Champions League would participate in the World Club Champions. Adding the champions of the Cup Winners' Cup can only mean that the CAF acknowledges that the winner of the Cup Winners' Cup is not less in stature than the victor of the Champions League.
If CAF really wants to ensure fairness, it should allow the Super Cup to be played on a two-leg basis. One match on the grounds of the winner of the Champions League; the other in the home of the Cup Winners' Cup champions. If that format is not to CAF's liking -- if it prefers just one match -- then at least the game should be played on neutral territory. Fair is fair.
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