Beat that

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FANS show unabashed joy after Ahli conquered Coton Sport of Cameroon on Sunday. And why not? The century-old storied Egyptian side and their millions of supporters had much to celebrate: a record sixth African Champions League crown in the most coveted football club tournament on the continent; a $1 million check as prize money, not to mention at least LE200,000 from Ahli for each player; and a third appearance in the World Club Championship, alongside European giants Manchester United, in Japan next month. Our own domestic giants triumphed over upstarts Coton Sport 4-2 on aggregate following their 2- 0 victory in Cairo two weeks ago, followed by a 2-2 draw in the second leg, in the searing heat, on a dusty and uneven pitch, and in front of a raunchy 35,000 stadium crowd in Garoua. The result gave Ahli their third Champions League title in four years and made amends for their stunning setback last year after suffering a shock 3-1 home defeat against Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in the final at Cairo Stadium. Sunday's victory gave Ahli 103 major soccer titles in their 101 years of existence. Which club can beat that?

photo: Salah Ibrahim