Al-Ahram Weekly | Sports | In search of lost time

		24 - 30 October 2002 Issue No. 609 Sports	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Recommend this page

In search of lost time
By Inas Mazhar

Zamalek's 1-0 victory over Tunisia's Esperance club in the African League Champions Cup instigated a profound sigh of relief on the part of Egyptian fans; the club had managed to save the pride of Egyptian football. In other regional championships, three other Egyptian clubs -- Ahli, Mehalla and Masri -- failed to accomplish similar feats.
The elimination of the defending champions Ahli in the same competition a day before has left Egyptian fans disappointed. And for the case of Mehalla and Masri fans the case is even worse: The two have also been eliminated from two African events; the Cup Winners Cup and the Confederation Cup, respectively.
This group elimination has not only angered fans, but has also raised several questions about the reasons behind this regional failure. A following of Egyptian football fans were pessimistic about Zamalek's results, and assumed that the only club left in the competition would follow the others: down the drain. Surprisingly, Zamalek stunned everyone with their unexpected victory amidst such mood- dampening circumstances. The load and pressure, many believed, would be too heavy for the Egyptians to overcome. They turned out to be wrong: not only did they win, but they also qualified for a semifinal spot.
Before the Zamalek--Esperance game kicked-off at the Cairo Stadium, many critics assumed that the winner of the match would win the Cup -- given that it was a showdown at this point between the strongest two teams in the group. This time, they were right.
At this point, with the title under its belt, I, personally believe that the victory will open the team's appetite for another sparkling goal, to hold the Champions League Cup and collect the one million dollar prize money offering that the Ahli club took home last year.
The great disappointment was not in Ahli's loss of the title they held so proudly and with such grip the year before, but more of how that loss came about. The real frustration lies in the fact that the team displayed the poorest performances in its history, and recorded the worst results in the African championship. They lost not only matches 'away', but also easy matches at home and in front of their fans.
Ahli's last match against Morocco's Rajaa Casablance in Cairo was the weirdest of them all. With just two minutes to go for the match to end, Ahli led 3-1. Time, the two minutes proved, mean nothing. In these last two minutes, everything was turned upside-down when the guests scored two consecutive goals to level the score 3-3. The result, however, really didn't matter since Ahli had already been eliminated from the championship. What got to the players, the fans and the critics, was how Ahli bowed out and bid farewell: without displaying even an ounce of what has become their trademark play. Rather than showing talent, skill, and sheer hard work, Ahli's play was poor, and their pride was forced to sink just as low.
The CAF loss marks the second major championship Ahli fails to defend in one year; last season's National League Championship and this year's African League Champions Cup.
There is definitely something wrong with the team, and undoubtedly, either the players or the management need to be given a hard, fast shakedown. Tarek Selim, head of the football body penalised each player LE5000 for the poor play, and threatened to impose severe penalties if the lackluster performance continues.
Given its historic place as one of the game's greatest powerhouses, we hope that Ahli will recover its past form and work through the obstacles which have hindered its once trademark winning streak. As football fanatics eager for some good play, we also, however, hope that Zamalek's win gives them even more inspiration to play and perform and put once unmovable Ahli to a grueling task to.

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