Ahli's football team heads for Japan on Saturday as Africa's representative in the World Clubs Championship. Inas Mazhar reports Though 10 days remain before Ahli begin their World Clubs Championship campaign in Japan, the club has decided to get an early start to give the players the chance to adjust to the weather and the time difference. "We are seven hours behind Japan and we don't want to face the same difficulties we had last year trying to cope with it, so we have decided to leave earlier in order to give ourselves a better chance," Khaled Mortagi, Ahli board member, said. "We also have to adjust to the weather conditions at this time of the year in Japan. It's colder than Egypt. It could be minus zero and snow is expected there. "We are lucky to be going for the second time, because now we are more experienced with the country and the conditions surrounding the tournament," said Mortagi, who said the team will take advantage of the long stay by playing a friendly game with a team from the Japanese league "to get into the mood of the competition." The six-team event comprises the six winners of the Confederations Champions League cups: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (Korea Republic), representing Asia, Egypt's Ahli, representing Africa; Club América (Mexico) representing the CONCACAF; Sport Club Internacional (Brazil) representing CONMEBOL; Auckland City FC (New Zealand) representing Oceania; and FC Barcelona (Spain) representing Europe. The opening match on 10 December will pit Auckland City FC against Ahli. The following day, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC will take on Club América in the National Stadium in Tokyo. The winner of match 1 will meet Sport Club Internacional in the semi-finals and the winner of match 2 will face Barcelona. Jeonbuk Motors of Korea Republic became the first East Asian side to take the laurels at the AFC Champions league after beating Syria's Al-Karama 3-2 over two legs in early November. A 2-1 victory over Tunisia's CS Sfaxien gave Ahli of Egypt their second consecutive CAF Champions League success and their fifth overall. The African champions represent Africa for the second year in a row in the World Clubs Championship, becoming the only club in the history of the championship to qualify twice. Mexico City giants Club América put paid to cross- town rivals Toluca in the North, Central American and Caribbean zone championship series to book their place at Japan 2006. In an impressive run of form through the aptly named CONCACAF Champions cup that contrasted their indifferent domestic results last term, the 'Aguilas' also surged past Jamaica's Portmore United and LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica. A 2-2 draw for Internacional of Porto Alegre against fellow Brazilian side Sao Paulo on 16 August combined with their first leg 2-1 win to see the side pull off quite a shock and lift the Copa Libertadores trophy. The victory represents a first-ever South American club championship for the side and earned them a well-deserved spot among the world's elite in Japan. New Zealand's Auckland City raced to the top of the heap in Oceania and booked their place in Japan during the OFC region's qualifying championship on home soil from 10 May to 21 May 2005. After climbing to the top of the eight-team competition's Group A, Auckland shrugged off Nokia Eagles before edging AS Pirae of Tahiti in the final match. FC Barcelona proved themselves to be effective entertainers with a successful run through the 2005/6 UEFA Champions League campaign. Killing off Thierry Henry and Arsenal in the final in Paris, Ronaldinho and company proved to be Europe's finest purveyors of the beautiful game. After finishing top of Group C a full nine points ahead of their closest chasers, the Catalan giants pushed past no less than English champions Chelsea, Benfica and AC Milan before getting the better of the Gunners. On Monday, Nicolas Maignot, head of the media in the World Clubs Championship was in Egypt for a special session on the occasion. During the event, FIFA representative and CAF Secretary-General Mustafa Fahmi presented Ahli club president Hassan Hamdi with the diploma of participation in Japan 2006. The tournament's cup was also unveiled for the media. Maingot led the media and guests through a powerpoint presentation which aimed at getting people more familiar with the World Clubs Championship. "The Club World Cup is passion, entertainment and drama," Maignot said. "But it's more than that. Its very essence is to assemble the elite of world club football. "The Club World Cup is top quality football because it gathers all six confederation champions and related to that format it is a competition of solidarity precisely because all countries are represented. "Thanks to the formula, what is at stake is nothing less than a genuine world champion title. The winner will be crowned world champion." Both Fahmi and executive committee member Hani Abou Reida agreed it was an honour for African football to have a representative at this world-class level. It provided a good opportunity for them to gain experience and to show the world who will be following the tournament how much the sport has developed in Africa. Maignot described Ahli's qualification to the World Cup as historic while Hamdi said it was an honour, and that the club was proud of going to the World Cup twice. "We are all proud of it, not only the team, but all board officials and all members of the club and we hope that we will be good representatives of African and Egyptian football in Japan," Hamdi said. After displaying a slide showing the draw and match schedule, Maignot asked Ahli's head coach Manuel Jose about his team's preparations for the competition. Jose said that for the past week they had been concentrating on winning their two league matches before leaving for Japan and that was part of their preparations. "We are trying to get any information on the New Zealand champion, but it's hard. If we were playing FC Barcelona, everyone knows that team, but we still have time to set our plan according to the information we will receive." "My feelings are just like my colleagues," Ahli captain Shadi Mohamed said. "We are thrilled and proud at the same time, especially that we have made it twice to Japan. All what we aim for is to perform this year better than last year." In Japan last year, Ahli lost their two matches, finishing last. "The coach and the players obviously need a ball," Maignot smiled at the end of the presentation. "This is the official ball for this tournament. And it is a special one." He asked the president of the Egyptian Football Association Samir Zaher to present Jose and Shadi Mohamed the official ball of the 2006 World Clubs Championship.
