20 - 26 December 2001
Issue No.565
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 20 - 26 December 2001 Issue No.565 |
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Schedule tricks
Goldi allegedly wants more ticket revenues by rearranging the soccer league schedule. One team is trying to fight back, Alaa Shahine reports
Ismaili's Vice President Ibrahim Osman says his club may go all the way to the top -- not atop the league but to protest -- after Goldi reportedly asked that all its matches against Ahli and Zamalek be played in Cairo.
The solo effort by Barakat, left, helped keep Ismaili in the chase for the club's third league title
Photo: Ayman Ibrahim
Why would Ismaili be so upset or even care who Goldi plays and where? Goldi, formerly Maadin, play their home matches in Fayoum but press reports suggest that the club's officials hope to play both home and away matches against Ahli and the remaining home match against Zamalek at Cairo Stadium to increase revenues from tickets at the much larger 67,000-seat Cairo venue, a prospect which Ismaili categorically rejected. Fayoum Stadium holds a maximum of only 15,000 spectators. Such meagre ticket sales makes Goldi one of the few teams happier to play away than at home.
"This is clearly unfair because it gives Ahli and Zamalek a better chance of winning by exerting the minimal amount of effort while we had to struggle to defeat Goldi in Fayoum," Osman said, threatening to send a letter of protest to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).
The Dervishes played at Fayoum Stadium in the second round and edged the hosts 2-0, courtesy of goals by Emad El- Nahhas and Abdel-Hamid Bassiouni. "We will definitely submit a protest to the EFA as such a situation makes us and other teams rank outsiders to win the trophy."
"We are working hard to boost the players' morale," Osman said, citing as one example the LE1,000 each player will get after every four successive victories. But such attitudes from clubs like Goldi "could ruin our efforts," Osman told reporters.
Ismaili coach Mohsen Saleh echoed similar sentiments. "If the association agrees to meet Goldi's request, Ahli and Zamalek will play less than the required 13 road games. This is a flagrant injustice," Saleh said. "How do people expect other clubs to challenge for the league title in such circumstances? After Goldi, Tersana might also ask for the same thing and we will ask to play our road match against Tersana at Cairo Stadium."
The Ismaili complaint did not distract them from the business at hand as they continued their impressive run, edging past Baladiyet Mehalla 1-0 in the 12th round on Friday in Ismailia.
The victory came courtesy of a close-range strike by Mohamed Barakat who salvaged the three points against the stubborn visitors.
The Dervishes were headed for what looked like a tie at home when Barakat whipped a rebound ball into the back of the net in the 76th minute.
With a match in hand against Ahli, Ismaili are in second on 29 points, one point behind leaders Zamalek who hammered Misri 4-2 on Saturday in Cairo.
Ismaili set the tone against the mid-table visitors from the outset. Islam El-Shattir burst into the right side and whipped a perfect cross into the area but Mohamed Mohsen headed into the post despite facing a wide open goal.
Ismaili were the dominant side in terms of possession and chances created and continued to be the more dangerous side after the break.
Barakat almost broke the deadlock in the 67th minute but his spectacular bicycle kick in a crowded penalty area was denied by defender Khaled Galal.
Later, Amr Fahim cut in from the left side and crossed into the area but Abdel-Hamid Bassiouni missed in the goalmouth area with a header he usually puts away.
Despite the slim margin of victory, Saleh was happy with the three points. He also hastened to credit Baladiyet Mehalla and coach Mohamed Salah for their resistance at the back line. "They gave us a tough time with their defence thanks to Salah's tactics. It was the first time we face such a situation at home but I'm happy the players dealt with it," he said.
"The players are under a lot of pressure to continue their winning streak. Winning every match has become compulsory in order to win the trophy," Saleh added.
Like Ismaili, Ahli, too, had to wait until the 76th minute before getting the winning goal against 13th placed Sohag on Friday following Khaled Bebo's close- range strike.
In Sohag, Ahmed Abu Mosallam sent a low cross from the left flank that goalkeeper Adli Refaie failed to gather. The ball reached the unmarked Bebo who struck home, putting the visitors into the lead for good.
The Cairo side took the lead against the run of the play as the hosts had the upper hand throughout the high-tempo encounter but failed to take advantage of several scoring opportunities. They continue to languish near the bottom with just eight points and have yet to register a victory.
It was another matter-of-fact approach by Ahli who recorded their third victory in a row since losing to bitter rivals Zamalek three weeks ago. Ahli remained in fourth place on 19 points but have three matches in hand against Goldi. Mehalla and Ismaili respectively because of team commitments in the African Champions League.
The match was Ahli's final rehearsal before tomorrow's climactic clash with South Africa's Sundowns in the second leg of the African Champions League final in Cairo.
Ahli coach Manuel Jose was not upset by his team's mediocre performance against Sohag for he got his three points. He told reporters, "This was the most important thing before facing Sundowns. We need to balance our goals because the league is another important championship and needs our full attention."
"The pitch at Sohag is very poor," Jose added, referring to the field's undulations. "I told the players to try to avoid getting injured. I'm glad we won in the end."
Season dark horse Tersana continued their surprising run, beating Goldi 2-1 away on Thursday to strengthen their grip on third place with 21 points. The visitors wrapped up the victory before the interval, following a brace by Palestinian international Emad Ayoub. Goldi's consolation goal came through Croatian import Dennis, known only by his first name.
Other encounters saw Ittihad blank the Arab Contractors 3-0 away from home, while Ghazl El-Suez and Spinning Mehalla fired blanks at home against Mansoura and Qanah respectively.
On Saturday, veteran striker Hossam Hassan and midfielder Tarek El-Sayed both netted a brace as the defending champions stormed past struggling Misri.
Hassan's cheeky back heel opened the scoring in the 16th minute, before he added a controversial second goal ten minutes later.
The 35-year-old, now with 10 goals to top the league, received a long pass from El-Sayed in what seemed an offside position on TV replays. But the referee waved play on as Hassan headed the ball home past Essam Abdel- Azim who had unnecessarily advanced far from the goalline.
El-Sayed added to Misri's woes after the break, unleashing a powerful strike that left Abdel- Azim stranded. The Port Said side closed the gap courtesy of a goal by Mustafa Gafaar before El-Sayed struck back with a clinical finish in front of goal in the 81st minute.
Misri's second goal came one minute from time through Walid Abul-Ela whose shot was deflected by a Zamalek defender.
The loss left Misri languishing in 12th place with just nine points.
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