Who's to blame?
Ismaili players and supporters are still asking why the club failed to lift the African Champions League trophy. Mohamed El-Sayed writes from Ismailia
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YELLOW FEVER: Supporters pack Ismailia Stadium; Ahmed Fathi taken down; referee Maillet gets an earful from Enyimba after calling a penalty
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Almost a week after Ismaili of Egypt failed to win the African Champions League title after losing 2-1 on aggregate to Enyimba of Nigeria, this small coastal city is still reeling and still pointing fingers. Some are blaming the Egyptian Football Association which forced Ismaili to play a hard-fought fixture against Zamalek just four days before the first leg in Nigeria, then deprived them of two of key players, Hosni Abd Rabbo and Ahmed Fathi, who were added to the World Youth Cup team in the UAE.
"The youth team had three chances in the World Cup, but we had only one to win the African championship, so why did they insist on taking them [Abd Rabbo and Fathi]?" said one supporter while weeping in the stands following the match.
Others accused referee Eddy Maillet, 33, of the Seychelles for showing dead calm in response to Nigerian players who wasted almost half of actual playing time by feigning injury.
Whatever the cause, residents are facing up to the harsh reality that the title has not gone to their club, which first won it in 1970 -- the first Egyptian squad to lift the cup -- and went instead to Nigeria for the first time ever in its history. Having lost the first leg 2-0 in Aba, Nigeria, a second-leg 1-0 win over the Nigerians on Friday in Ismailia failed to help the Dervishes keep the title in Egypt for the third consecutive year, following respective victories by Ahli and Zamalek in the 2001 and 2002 editions of the most prestigious African club competition.
But it was taken for granted that Ismaili would win edition 2003. Indulging in the happy times, children toured the city before the match on their bikes bearing banners that read: "This is our dream, and we deserve the cup." Ismaili flags, caps and banners were a hot- selling commodity in the Dervishes' hometown throughout the week. Shops and balconies were adorned with yellow and blue flags in anticipation of a historic carnival.
Things began well enough for Ismaili. Playing with their regular lineup, Ismaili kicked-off to a positive start at 7pm before a capacity crowd of 25,000 passionately inflamed fans who parked in the stands at least four hours before game time.
Mohamed Hommos first brought the crowd to its feet when he was brought down by a defender in the third minute but Maillet did not respond to protests from the Egyptians who sought a penalty.
Michael Ochei and Muri Ogubiyi were cautioned in the 15th and 17th minutes for simulation and a rash challenge on Ismaili defender Amr Fahim.
Two minutes later, Mohamed Mohsen Abu Greisha, the top goalscorer of the competition with eight goals, the same as his partner Dramane Traore, created the Egyptians' first chance when he sent a weak header into the waiting hands of Enyimba's international goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. In the 21st minute, Fahim was provided with a lovely corner kick from Sayed Mo'awad but his curling shot sailed inches wide of the left upright.
Twenty-three minutes into the first half, Abu Greisha was brought down by Ugah Okpara when the former tried to dribble past him. The referee handed the Dervishes a penalty kick, leading to strong protests from the Nigerian players. Still, Maillet did not show the red card or even caution any of the Nigerians who encircled him and caused the game to be held up for four minutes.
When play eventually resumed, Abd Rabbo calmly stroked the ball home, sparking emotional scenes in the stands.
Despite more than 10 minutes being wasted in the first half, only five minutes of stoppage time was tacked on.
In an attempt to score the aggregate equaliser, Ismaili created several scoring opportunities. In the 54th minute, Traore slipped away from Enyimba's defenders for the first time, but did not do justice to Hommos' delicious cross from the left flank, heading the ball to the right of the post. A minute later, goalkeeper Enyeama miscued an attempt to clear the ball from a back pass by Okpara, setting up a corner for Ismaili.
Seventeen minutes into the second half, Ismaili's German coach Theo Bucker sent reinforcements to his out- of-form strikers, bringing on attacker Lanfia Dioubate for Hommos. The Guinean, however, did not have much of an impact, and so midfielder Mohamed Abdallah was introduced for stopper Salem in the 76th minute.
When again only five minutes of stoppage play added, even though the Nigerians wasted a good 10 minutes, tempers flared. Ochei kicked Ismaili's Islam El- Shater in the face in plain sight of the referee who took no action.
The game restarted with Ismaili players desperately looking for a second, tying goal. Midfielder Hamam Ibrahim was replaced by defender Fahim but it was all over as Maillet blew the final whistle, leaving many Ismaili players in tears.
Actual playing time after the restart did not exceed 20 minutes; the remaining time involved things that had nothing to do with football. It was part boxing, time wasting and acting injured. The Nigerians capitalised on a referee unwilling to even caution them. The trick was repeated more than 10 times, resulting in 30 minutes of wasted time.
"I've never seen a football match in which only 30 minutes were played," Bucker complained after the game. "The referee could not control the game, allowing the Nigerians to waste time. I wonder how the CAF assigned a referee from a tourism-oriented country that has poor knowledge of football for a continental final."
The loss also dashed the dream Ismaili had of playing in the FIFA World Cup for clubs in 2005 along with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United.
