Basketball, too

ZAMALEK's basketball team continued its domination of the sport at the local level, adding the cup to the league championship it won last week.

The win came on the heels of Zamalek's league football victory, their second soccer title in three years.

Zamalek beat Gezira 76-72 in a tight and chaotic final. Gezira was leading by 12 points with 10 minutes to go in the match. Ironically, the turning point came after the Yugoslav referee sent off Zamalek's Shaaban Abdel-Wahab, then head coach Essam Abdel-Hamid. Confusion reigned and the referee threatened to blow an early whistle.

Surprisingly, Zamalek regrouped in the midst of the turmoil, managing to score 13 points against three for Gezira to level the score 72-72. With the help of frenzied supporters at Cairo Stadium's indoor complex, they added two more baskets to win.

The victory also gave Zamalek the super title, given to the team that picks up the league and cup in the same season. The club was super twice before, in 1997 and 1998.

Two players announced their retirement following the game. Zamalek's Ahmed Adel was ecstatic with his team's achievement, saying it was the best time to take such a step. Adel had announced his retirement last week following the league title but delayed bowing out for one more week to try to secure the cup as well.

Gezira's Fathi Abdel-Aziz announced his retirement as well but under different circumstances. Abdel-Aziz said he had wished to retire on a winning note, claiming that Gezira deserved taking both championships but failed because of internal setbacks. The Gezira captain said his club was close to victory but was unlucky.