14 - 20 February 2002
Issue No.573
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 February 2002 Issue No.573 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Fallout from Mali
Post-mortem questions abound after the Egyptian mess in Mali, writes Nashwa Abdel-Tawab
With no rhyme and very little reason as to how they played, Egypt's downfall in Mali has put the country in a mass depression. Mali and Senegal, minnows in world football up until a year ago, proved they are now genuine world beaters and could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with powerhouses Cameroon and Nigeria. However, Egypt, a four-time winner of the tournament, treaded water and indeed, backpedalled through much of the championship. The graph hit rock bottom in the quarter-finals against Cameroon when the Lions hardly broke into a sweat in sweeping aside the once feared Pharaohs.
As is the norm, the finger-pointing went straight to the coach, Mahmoud El-Gohari. Following the quarter-final exit, El-Gohari, the only man to win the African Nations Cup as both a player and manager, exited as well, calling it a day -- 14 years in fact -- to the delight of many.
El-Gohari conceded that Egypt could no longer cope with African football. "Their players come from slums and want to prove themselves badly. And their bodies are big when compared to ours."
El-Gohari's biography will read that he won two Arab cups and an African Nations Cup. His finest moment was when he guided the nation to the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
FIFA named him as one of the world's best 20 coaches in 1998. He was also chosen as the best African coach in 1998 by Footballe Afrique. Three times El-Gohari was named best Arab coach.
El-Gohari has come and gone in the national team four times and the inevitable question arises: what next for this Houdini-like manager. "I might train clubs in Egypt or most probably in Arab countries," said El-Gohari after Mali. "I can't live outside the pitch. When the ball is in the field, I breathe."
Thirty-one coaches have led Egypt since 1934 --18 foreigners and 13 Egyptians. The betting is that El- Gohari's successor, to be chosen sometime next week, will come from abroad. The names being bandied about come from France, Yugoslavia and Portugal. Mohsen Saleh, Farouk Gaafar and Anwar Salama -- all Egyptians who have coached the team at one time -- have outside chances but observers believe a foreigner is better suited for the hot-seat job.
In truth, El-Gohari is only partly to blame for his team's demise. From the outset, the squad was beset with player problems. Defender Ibrahim Said was sent packing from Mali before even playing in the opener for "an unacceptable attitude toward the coach and fellow players, a lack of punctuality and a lack of focus," according to team officials.
Hani Said did play in the opening match but was then suspended the rest of the way after testing positive for using a banned stimulant.
Mohamed El-Yamani never showed up in Mali after his Belgian club, Standard Liege, refused to let him go despite a FIFA appeal that he be made available for Egypt.
And veteran striker Hossam Hassan was included on the roster despite suffering from a severe hamstring injury which clearly hampered his mobility in the few chances he was given to play in Mali.
"Don't blame the players. They did all they could but it was bad luck that accompanied us throughout the tournament," said Alaa Nabil, assistant coach. "We were running out of players. Ibrahim Said left. Tarek Said was cautioned twice. Hani Said was tested positive. Hossam Hassan, Hazem Emam and Hani Ramzi were injured. Imagine what it's like to be dealt blow after blow like that."
But Ramzi, a pro in Kaiserslautern for 12 years, believed the competition was hard for the Egyptians and was sure they would lose after just 10 minutes of their quarter-final match against Cameroon had gone by. "We were hesitant, afraid and centred too much on defence, although El-Gohari didn't tell us to do so. The Egyptian player doesn't know how to play under stress. Some players perform well only at the local level. They are not prepared to play international games. Add to this the injuries and the absence of key players and we were done for."
Hani Said, a 21-year-old centre back, claimed he never used any illegal drugs because he was well aware of the sanctions that could be imposed should he test positive. However, he did say that team physician Ahmed Maged had insisted he take a vitamin injection before the opener with Senegal which might have contained an illegal steroid. A second doping test sample has been sent to Lausanne for confirmation. "I hope things will end up well for Said," said El-Gohari.
El-Gohari had no words of comfort for the other Said. Ibrahim Said, El-Gohari said, "lacks the required levels of concentration, enthusiasm and commitment." He claimed the defender was "psychologically unfit for a tournament this size. Ibrahim is jeopardising our spirit with his lack of commitment."
Ibrahim Said's colleagues are reported to have talked to him, attempting to have him revert from his flashy ways which, according to Egyptian delegation president Hani Abu Reida, included being late to practise and a snobbish attitude toward his teammates.
El-Gohari could not see any silver lining in Egypt's football future. "The Egyptian player is unfairly treated by society, in his upbringing, his preparation for being a player and his nutrition," El-Gohari said. "They need close supervision. They don't know when to sleep, what to eat or how to control themselves. They need to be monitored closely and lead an organised life."
Hassan El-Mestikawi, a veteran sports critic, agreed. "We have to change our priorities. Children come first. They have to learn to attack rather than defend. Football should be played to win, not to avoid losing. The start to any change is correcting our way of thinking and our priorities. Let's forget about the seniors and think more about the juniors."
El-Gohari gives his players a pep talk before meeting Cameroon in what would be their final game in the ANC (photo: Hossam Diab)
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page