Half-time
Say good-bye
By
Inas Mazhar
Once again, the twins, Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan, of Egyptian football fame, are in the headlines for what is becoming a common request -- they want to quit.
On the night Zamalek won the Hosni Mubarak Cup after beating Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, Hossam refused to approach the podium to receive his medal. Instead, he remained seated on the bench, then left the stadium. He did not get on the team bus but instead drove off in his brother's car.
The following day, Hossam announced he was leaving Zamalek -- but not to retire. The twist is that he and his brother wanted out but for another club. (Ibrahim issued no such statement but it has long been taken for granted that where Hossam goes, so too, does Ibrahim).
The problem, said Hossam, involved Zamalek's new coach, Vingada of Portugal, who pulled the striker off with the game tied at nil. Hossam felt slighted by the substitution and vowed it would be his last match for the squad.
This is not the first time Hossam has said he is quitting football. During a career that began in 1985, he has so often called it a day, whether at the club or international level, that few people take him seriously when he makes the threat.
Ittihad of Alexandria have made them an offer and it is reported that Zamalek officials are scurrying to ensure the brothers stay where they are. The brothers themselves have decided not to pass up a chance to visit Portugal where Zamalek will be training in preparation for the new season.
The trouble is that at the age of 38, Hossam and Ibrahim should hang up their soccer shoes. It was clear in Zamalek's recent Arab championship that their skills are on the wane and that their better days were definitely behind them.
Both are reluctant to have a swan song and indeed one of the hardest decisions any professional athlete must make is when to leave. But the time has definitely come. And what better way to end a career than on a winning note; in less than a week Zamalek captured two big-name Arab trophies.
Hossam and Ibrahim have done enough to ensure they will never be forgotten. Two years ago Hossam was the world's most capped player and this year he passed El-Shazli for the most goals scored in Egyptian football history. Ibrahim, too, is a member of the 100 caps club but being a defender, he has never received the acclaim his striker brother has.
The twins must realise that their footballing days are numbered. They are soon going to be history. They must seriously consider retirement before they become history.
