30 August - 5 September 2001
Issue No.549
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 30 August - 5 September 2001 Issue No.549 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Hans who?
The success of Ahli's new football coach has made the club's supporters pretty much forget who was previously at the helm. Alaa Shahine profiles the team's latest hero
Though his tenure has barely begun, Ahli's new Portuguese coach, Manuel Jose, has already had a huge impact on the Cairo football team. Since his arrival last month Jose, a former coach of Portugal's top sides, has gotten his new club off to a flying start, beating Spanish giants Real Madrid in a friendly, then leading Ahli to the top of its group in the African Champions League, the continent's most prestigious club tournament.
Manuel Jose at the Pyramids
The victories have bedazzled Ahli's supporters and all but erased last season's memories after the club lost the league title for the first time in seven years and was knocked out of the African Champions League. Then coach German Hans Dorner was promptly sacked for such desultory results.
Despite his heroics, the man behind the drastic turnaround has remained level-headed. "Defeating Real Madrid does not at all mean that we have suddenly become a world class side. We still have much work to do," Jose told Al-Ahram Weekly. Indeed, against Algeria's Chebab Blouizdad on Friday in an African championship match, Ahli's 1-0 win was tenuous at best. "The players did not follow my instructions," Jose claimed. I think that such a performance came just in time because the players and supporters had begun to believe the club was invincible."
Jose said, "Everybody should realise we have reached only 50 per cent of our form. I hope we can correct our mistakes in time for our next match. The most important thing, however, is that we clinched the three points."
Following three consecutive German coaches, Ahli this season opted for a different school of football and in the wily Portuguese, it has gotten a tried and tested captain. Along with a couple of second-place league finishes with Sporting Lisbon, Jose guided Boavista to a domestic cup triumph in 1994 and a semi-final appearance in the UEFA Cup the same year. He also coached Portuguese giants Benfica in an unsuccessful two-year spell before taking on modest Lirea last season where he led the newly-promoted side to an unexpected fifth place finish.
Jose is well-known for scouting new talent. He discovered Portugal's Juao Pinto and Nuno Gomez who both currently play for Italy's AC Milan and Fiorentina respectively, and Dutch star Jimmy Floyd Heselbank who plays for the English Premiership side Chelsea. Jose's probing eye in Ahli has favoured youthful prospects including Ahmed Abu Mosallam, Aboul-Magd Mustafa and Wael Riad. As a result of Jose's tendency to lean towards youth, seniors on the team, including Walid Salaheddin, Hisham Hanafi and Ali Maher, have been forced to take a back seat. Jose has adamantly refused to consider a player's popularity or reputation when naming his line-up. "I rule here," he blasted. "And I decide who plays according to my standards."
"We have a promising side of youngsters who need time to improve and gain the needed experience," Jose said. However, in light of the team's failure last season, supporters are expected to be anything but patient especially in the African Champions League, last captured by the pride of Cairo in 1987. "I know that Ahli fans are always looking for victory and we are working on this."
Though he is making $22,000 a month with Ahli, Jose thought it unlikely he would remain with the club for more than a year, even if he leads it to a domestic and African Champions League double. "I will ultimately return to Portugal," he said before the game against Blouizdad. "I still dream of winning the Portuguese league title and coaching the Portuguese national team," Jose said, adding that he was nominated to coach the Portuguese squad three times but failed to get the nod following what he called "disputes with the association."
Jose said he has not had time to see other teams in action in the Egyptian league. "First you focus on improving your team and then you look at the others," he said, conceding, though, that he could be in for some surprises. "The element of surprise exists in football but we will try to be on the safe side," he said. He has refused to comment on recent remarks made by officials of league champions Zamalek that they can defeat Ahli any time. Perhaps his reply is being reserved for where it counts most, on the field.
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