8 - 14 March 2001
Issue No.524
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 8 - 14 March 2001 Issue No.524 |
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Runaway star
Last year, Ibrahim Said was voted Egypt's best player. This year, however, the 22-year-old mercurial defender would do well if he came close to winning a popularity contest after fleeing to Europe to turn professional. The flight from home stripped his club Ahli and the international team of a principal stopgap player at a time when key matches are being played in both arenas.
Final kiss?
The great escape took place at the crack of dawn on 25 February. The day before, the player had returned from Windhoek where Egypt and Namibia tied 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier. Egypt's sole goal had been scored in dramatic fashion by Said in injury time to keep the country in the race for the 2002 finals. He had been due to report to training camp in Ahli the next day. He didn't show up. Reporters who telephoned him at his home were told by his mother that Said and his father had gone to Belgium and would be back in a week. She gave no further details. She didn't have to.
On the plane from Windhoek, Egypt's coach Mahmoud El-Gohari, alerted by press reports that Said was planning a getaway, advised him to do some serious rethinking. He told Said to at least consult with Ahli which has a three-year contract with the player. Reports said that following the one-hour conversation, Said's reply was thanks, but no thanks.
On Friday, just before Ahli's match with Zamalek -- a game his club desperately needed to win to have any chance of successfully defending its league title -- Said popped up in a live TV interview in Brussels. Appearing on Egypt's Nile Sports channel, he told his audience he had signed a two-year contract with Belgian side Ghent and that he was happy with his new team. He did not reveal how much he would be making but termed the fee satisfactory.
He claimed his contract with Ahli was illegal. "It's an amateur contract," Said said. "I signed it when I was 17," he said, adding that a couple of Egyptian lawyers could confirm his agreement with Ahli was invalid. He also said he had not received his salary for four months and that Ahli had cut bonuses from his fee worth LE40,000 pounds, "which is unfair." He said Ghent had agreed to take him in only after ensuring his move would not run afoul of FIFA, the world's governing body in the sport. (FIFA stipulates a player cannot sign for another club if his current contract is valid or unless the two clubs coordinate a smooth transfer).
Ahli's response was quick. Management said the player had received LE218,000 over the past three years and that only LE11,000 had been lopped off, mostly for infractions he had committed. The player -- who earlier this season dyed his hair red only to dye it back to its natural colour after being taunted by the press -- has a history of petulant behaviour. He has been in trouble with teammates, has skipped numerous training sessions and has been fined more than once for not giving his all in matches.
Ahli has appealed to FIFA, urging it to intervene in the matter. In the meantime, the club has suspended Said pending the outcome of FIFA's investigation. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has decided not to go that far, preferring to question Said first. El-Gohari has taken a firmer stand, banning him from playing any more international matches -- even if he admits he is wrong.
The punitive measure will prevent Said from playing in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Cairo on 11 March. He was sorely missed in Ahli's 3-1 defeat against Zamalek which virtually ensured Ahli's downtown rivals the league crown.
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