28 March - 3 April 2002
Issue No.579
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 28 March - 3 April 2002 Issue No.579 |
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Half-time
Age matters
There is life after all in Egyptian handball beyond the age of 32. After announcing earlier this month that any player above 32 will have to kiss the court good-bye, a decision which caused a big stir in handball quarters, the country's federation has reversed itself, just a little.
In announcing the amendments, federation head Hassan Mustafa said players 32 years old who are still members of the national squad can continue wearing Egypt's colours until they are 40 -- on condition they can continue playing at peak level and remain an integral part of the team. If a player has reached 32 and is not deemed capable of representing Egypt any longer, he may play out his remaining years in his club.
Mustafa, who is also the president of the World Handball Federation, said the decisions were designed to meet two objectives: getting the best from his players and clearing the way for a new generation. By warning national team players who are about to turn 32 that the curtains might be coming down soon would make them play better, he said, and new blood would replace those forced out of the national team.
Indeed, Mustafa said the federation's technical committee had scouted and discovered that there was an abundance of talent all over the country, "even more talented than the current members of the national team." So why not give the new generation the chance to start at the age the seniors did?" he asked. He urged that advantage be taken of a new core of promising players, "or should we sideline them simply because the national team is crowded with players over the hill?"
Mustafa told the Weekly that the federation's sole concern was the welfare and future of the game. "We are fourth in the world and we want to become world champions," Mustafa said. "We do not want to drop."
It appears Mustafa was forced to backtrack after he was accused of killing the game's top players, destroying their careers and wrecking the national squad. Most of Egypt's handball players who would be affected by the federation's decisions are currently at their peak and helped the country reach fourth place in the world, an unprecedented achievement. Some of the players who might be forced into early retirement also make a living off handball.
In general, though, Mustafa's thoughts could make the team even better. The problem with his forward thinking could be psychological. Egyptians are not accustomed to seeing or hearing their officials come up with daring proclamations of the sweeping kind which can so deeply affect an individual's future.
Mustafa is known to crack the whip and there is no doubt his iron fist is what propelled Egypt in its electrifying rise to a world handball power. Perhaps the application of a little more forcefulness on players too long in the tooth will make for an even higher climb.
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