EGYPT'S Enppi lost a chance to win a major football title when the team lost the second-leg match of the final of the Arab Championship 1-0 to Raja of Casablanca in Morocco. The home side won the match thanks to a 67th minute strike by Soufiane Alloudi. The Egyptian club had lost the first leg in the North African encounter 2-1 in Cairo two weeks earlier. Raja Casablanca became $1 million richer after the win. Success for Raja came a week after they were surprisingly eliminated in the third round of the African Champions League. It was Enppi's first participation in the tournament which was marred by controversy after the fixtures for the two-legged final were determined by the organising officials rather than by the normal toss of the coin. The organisers selected Cairo as the venue for the first leg, granting the more prized second leg to Morocco on the basis that Enppi's fan base was meagre when compared to the more illustrious Raja. In response, spectators filled the stands of the 50,000-seat Arab Contractors stadium in the first-leg in Cairo. Raja are the third club to win the Arab title after Saudi giants Ittihad Jeddah won the second edition and Tunisian club Sfaxien took the maiden tournament. Playing in only their fifth year, Enppi are currently third in the league table with four matches to play. They are the defending cup champions.
