29 March - 4 April 2001
Issue No.527
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 29 March - 4 April 2001 Issue No.527 |
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Worth the extra effort
Egypt was forced to meet Cameroon twice before advancing to the Under-20 World Football Championship. Inas Mazhar covered the double African qualifier
Egypt went to Addis Ababa supposedly to play three preliminary games in its four-member group. It ended up playing four times, but the extra effort and wait paid off as it qualified for the World Under-20 Championship in Argentina later this summer.
A 3-1 victory over Cameroon gave Egypt the right to be one of the four nations that will represent Africa at the FIFA World Youth Championship to be held from 17 June to 7 July.
The game with Cameroon was replayed following a pitch invasion by unruly Ethiopian fans which forced the cancellation of the first game in the 28th minute.
Suspicious and angry Ethiopian fans invaded the pitch twice, forcing officials to abandon the first encounter. Game officials and players sought refuge in the centre of the pitch as Ethiopian police fired live ammunition and tear gas when football fans attacked.
Ethiopian fans began to throw objects onto the pitch, believing the match was being fixed. They felt that Cameroon and Egypt were playing a tactical lacklustre game to get an intentional draw, a result which would have ensured that both nations advanced to the semi-finals at the expense of Ethiopia and South Africa.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) delegates quickly met with the organisers and officials of both nations and after a hold-up of more than 20 minutes it was decided that play should continue. But about two minutes after the resumption, crowds jumped over a six-foot-high fence and rushed onto the pitch chasing and attacking all the players with an assortment of objects.
Advertising boards at the stadium were ripped apart and the corner flags were removed and used to attack officials in the VIP stands. Television cameramen were attacked and the benches of the two teams were also smashed. A South African photographer, mistaken for an Egyptian, was punched and thrown down the stairs at the exit of the VIP area.
Security had been beefed up earlier in the week following ugly incidents in Ethiopia's game with Egypt when mobs of Ethiopian fans chased the Egyptians into their dressing room.
Despite the new security arrangements, police could not contain the violent crowd and could only watch on helplessly as journalists and other spectators literally ran for their lives. Outside the stadium the crowd regrouped and smashed cars and nearby windows. A security man then opened fire with live ammunition as the Addis Ababa city centre became a battleground. The sound of gunfire continued to echo across the city for nearly an hour after the game was abandoned.
CAF took several extraordinary decisions following Saturday's violent incidents at the 15-day championship. After an emergency meeting on Sunday morning, it said the game between Cameroon and Egypt would be replayed on Monday. It added that there could be no draw at the end of regulation time; there would have to be a winner, decided in a penalty shoot-out if need be. It also announced the replay would be held at a different venue, at the Abebe Bekela Stadium while the other Group A match between South Africa and Ethiopia would be held simultaneously at the main venue used for the competition. And it fined the Ethiopian Football Federation $2,000 for the behaviour of the fans.
Mohamed El-Yamani, a two-goal hero against Cameroon, had ensured Egypt got the best start in the tournament with a strike after 59 minutes against South Africa. Chances were scarce for both sides with South Africa playing the long ball into the Egyptian half too often. And despite the support of the Ethiopian crowd, South Africa lacked firepower in the game and the absence of a talisman with flair cost it the match 1-0.
Egypt's second game against Ethiopia was not as rosy. Egyptian defender Mohamed El-Ghobashi was banned for a year by CAF for spitting at female Nigerian referee Bola Abidoye. The incident happened after Egypt drew 2-2 in a game where two penalties were awarded to the hosts. Abidoye, one of two female referees at the tournament, was approached by Egyptian players after giving the second penalty in the last minute of the game, and had to be rescued by security. But Ethiopian midfielder Ashenafi Girma missed the spot-kick, which would have given his side victory after coming back from two goals down in a game halted for 25 minutes because of floodlight failure. Fans invaded the pitch and threw objects at the Egyptian bench. Police intervened to protect the Egyptians from being attacked in their dressing rooms.
Pummelled aplenty in Addis Ababa, the Egyptians would like nothing better than to return home. Although it automatically made it to Argentina by reaching the last four, Egypt must remain in Ethiopia for the remainder of the competition to see who finishes tops in Africa. Egypt was scheduled to play Angola in the semi-finals while Ethiopia takes on Ghana in the other penultimate match.
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