Egypt's Ahli football club want to take it all at this month's World Clubs Championship in Japan, Inas Mazhar reports At a press conference held in Cairo before Ahli, the African club of the century, departs for Japan Friday, the team promised their diehard fans to make it to the final this time and even claim the cup. Ahli, which became the first team in the history of the competition to qualify for the third time, placed third in the 2006 championship and was last in their first appearance in 2005. The press conference was attended by Ahli club chairman Hassan Hamdi and the club's board members, the 23-man football team, Kaoru Ishikawa, the ambassador of Japan to Egypt, and CAF communications director Suleiman Habuba. During the conference, FIFA media officer Emmanuel Maradas conveyed to Ahli club officials, fans and media present the message of both FIFA President Joseph Blatter and Viacheslav Koloskov, the organising committee head of the FIFA Club World Cup. "The very essence of the FIFA World Clubs World Championship Japan 2008 is to assemble the elite of world club football," Maradas said. Head coach of Ahli Manuel Jose said the team had high ambitions and dreams. "This year it is a huge responsibility because everyone expects us to go further than the third place we achieved in 2006 which was also an improvement from the previous year in 2005 when we lost our first game. "We dream of that as well and we are working on it and to fulfill that, the players shouldn't be under pressure. They should just concentrate on the ball and on achieving their goal. It is not going to be easy and we will have to fight. We will display our best because we want to show the world that Ahli are a world-class team, a team capable of competing against the world's elite clubs and can battle it out for the cup as well," Ahli's Portuguese coach said. Team captain Shadi Mohamed said the players are determined this time to make an impressive appearance. "This team has together many unprecedented achievements like winning the African Champions League six times and qualifying to Japan three times. So, we need to prove to the world that we deserve to join the elite and we are the best representatives for African football. "We are keen on reaching the final and we hope we can return back with the cup. We need to focus more on the first game. Winning our opener will give us more confidence to maintain our progress in the competition until we claim the cup." The team's super star Mohamed Abou Treika, who made a good impression in Japan 2006, said he wouldn't have reached such a high peak without his fellow colleagues. "Football is a team sport, no one can play alone. I'm not the star of the team but the team is the star. That's what Mr Jose tells us. I don't care about individual achievements because only the team achievements remain in the memory of the fans and I'm part of the team." National team captain Ahmed Hassan said he had made a good choice by joining Ahli in the summer. "Since last June, I've claimed with the team the African Champions League and here I am taking part in Japan and I hope we can fulfill our dream and win the cup and make everyone back home happy." Hassan joined Ahli to end 10 years of a professional career in Europe. Ishikawa, the Japanese ambassador, received a big round of applause when he welcomed and congratulated Ahli in Arabic for making it to Japan for the third time. He then shifted to English and wished them the best of luck in their campaign to win the cup. "Japan is ready to receive you and all the other teams as well. The Japanese love this championship and wait for it every year. I have to warn you that at this time of the year Japan is very cold, but the hearts of the Japanese are so warm to make you overcome it," the ambassador said. According to FIFA online, Ahli have enhanced their status as the most successful club in Africa by winning a record sixth CAF Champions League title. But after conquering the continent for the third time in four years, fifa.com questioned whether the Cairo giants can win next week's FIFA Club World Cup. Ahli's first crack at ruling the world was an abortive one. They lost to Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad in the quarter-finals, before a 2-1 defeat by Sydney FC condemned them to last place at Japan 2005. The Red Devils fared much better one year later. A 2-0 reverse of Auckland FC sent them into the semi-finals, where they were edged 2-1 by eventual champions Internacional. Rather than rue their lack of composure in front of goal, or the post that denied Mohamed Abou Treika, Ahli rebounded by beating Mexican heavyweights America to claim bronze. Encouragingly, Manuel Jose's side have improved since then. They finished 17 points clear atop of the 2007/08 Egyptian Premier League, and have added Ahmed Hassan to a squad that already included the likes of Shadi Mohamed, Mohamed Barakat, Gilberto, Flavio and the irresistible Abou Treika. Ahli will, understandably, be full of confidence going into Japan 2008, which will also feature Liga de Quito of Ecuador, European champions Manchester United, Adelaide United of Australia, Japan's Gamba Osaka, Pachuca of Mexico and New Zealand's Waitakere United. The 10-day tournament will take place from 11 to 21 December. A total $16 million in prize money is up for grabs. The champion will take home $5 million, the runner-up $4 million, third place $2.5 million, fourth place $2 million, the fifth and sixth-placed teams $1 million, and 7th place $500,000. The seven-team, seven-match competition format will be played in three venues: National Stadium in Tokyo (approximately 48,000 seats), Toyota Stadium (approximately 36,000 seats) and International Stadium Yokohama (approximately 68,000 seats).
