Al-Ahram Weekly | Sports

		Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 19 - 25 April 2001 Issue No.530
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Current issue \| Previous issue \| Site map

Moving together
EGYPTIAN clubs maintained a perfect record in African club football championships, all going through to the second round.
Veteran striker Hossam Hassan's curling free kick gave Zamalek a 1-0 victory over Sudan's Al-Hilal in the African Cup Winners Cup. The defending champions won the first-leg encounter by the same result two weeks ago in Khartoum to win 2-0 on aggregate.
In Cairo Stadium on Saturday, Zamalek had to wait until the 78th minute before Hassan, the world's most capped player, scored the team's only goal with a spectacular free kick to end a goal drought that had not seen him score since netting two against Ahli in a league match in March.
In the same competition, Egypt's cup title holders Ismaili advanced to the second round after beating Mathare of Kenya 2-1 in the return leg in Ismailia and 3-2 on aggregate. Ismaili had drawn 1-1 away in Kenya two weeks earlier.
A brace by Nigerian striker John Otaka gave Ismaili all the goals it would need, offsetting Simon Molal's last-minute effort.
Egypt's representative in the Champions League, Ahli, also advanced despite losing 1-0 to the Eritrean club Red Sea.
Having trounced Red Sea in the first leg in Cairo 3-0, Ahli's away defeat was not enough to see the Eritreans through.
Ahli had the upper hand in a high tempo match throughout, with Khaled Bibo and Nigerian Robert Okoury wasting several scoring opportunities. The hosts netted the match's only goal midway in the second half and launched an all-out assault in the last few minutes but Ahli's defence kept their efforts at bay.
Paying the price
STAR Ahli defender Ibrahim Said has been suspended for six months following weeks of controversy surrounding the footballer's future. The ban came after Said's departure for Belgian side Ghent in February without his club's consent. Negotiations with Ghent broke down after Ahli provided evidence that its contract with the wayward player was still valid.
The six-month suspension, taken after a two-week inquiry by Ahli's legal adviser, was made retroactive to 27 February, the day Said absconded. But in an unusual and controversial twist, an extra six months will be tacked on to the player's contract due to expire by the end of next season.
"Ahli has no right to add the suspension period to the player's contract," Galal Mahmoud, a player agent accredited by FIFA, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "FIFA regulations do not allow such measures, otherwise the players would be slaughtered by their clubs at any time," Mahmoud said.
Triple treat
amalek's volleyball squad added one more crown to its burgeoning trophy chest, beating defending champions Ahli 3-1 for the league title, reports Abeer Anwar
The victory gave Zamalek a treble -- football and handball league titles also went its way. The volleyball win gave Zamalek the crown following a two-year hiatus during which Ahli ruled supreme. Sweeter still, it came just a few weeks following club elections for a new board of directors.
Both teams entered the match equal on points with 18. Zamalek pulled level 14-14 and 26-26 before taking the first set 28-26. Set two also went to Zamalek 25-18 before Ahli narrowed the gap 2-1. But Ahli's momentum stopped there as Zamalek regrouped for a 25-16 fourth set victory and the game.
A capacity crowd of 1,500 saw the match, played at Cairo Stadium's indoor hall No 2. No available empty seats meant a similar number of spectators were prevented from entering.
Ittihad of Alexandria came third in the league race with 18 points after defeating Sharqiya 3-0. Al-Geish finished fourth with 16 points despite losing to Tersana 3-0.
Al-Geish's Islam Awad was named the season's best spiker, Ahli's Hamdi El-Safi the most valuable player and Mohamed Abdel-Aziz of Zamalek the best blocker

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