Ahli and Ittihad prepare to meet in Japan in the World Cup for clubs. Inas Mazhar previews the famed Arab derby Undefeated in a world record 55 straight matches, the Egyptian club Ahli are looking forward to more glory at the FIFA World Clubs Championship scheduled to kick-off on Sunday in Japan. The team left for Japan on Sunday. "We needed to travel at least a week earlier so that the players get used to weather conditions and the time difference," Ahli's assistant coach Hossam El-Badri said. Ahli play their opener against Ittihad Jeddah of Saudi Arabia at 7pm in Japan (11am Cairo time) on 11 December. As a gesture of appreciation to all the players who have contributed to Ahli's success the past two years, the club took all their players to Japan, even those injured. CAF secretary-general Mustafa Fahmi urged the continent's ambassadors to prove to the world that the quality of African clubs is equal to that shown by African national teams in recent times. "People around the world are anxious to see what kind of football African clubs can play and Japan will be the stage where you are going to be judged," Fahmi told a press conference last week in Cairo. "Led by Joseph Blatter, FIFA has made great efforts to resuscitate this tournament and it is your duty now to verify that its efforts did not go in vain." The message was loud and clear as Ahli's players focussed on their eagerly awaited Arab derby against Asian champions Ittihad. "We promise to do our best and represent Egypt and Africa in an honorable way," Ahli's Portuguese coach Manuel Jose said. "I'm not saying we do not want to win the competition but what I'm saying is that we prefer to take it one step at a time. "We will not lose sight of our target whether we are playing against Ittihad Jeddah, Sao Paulo or even Liverpool. We will always play to win," Jose said. The name Ittihad may not quite have the same cachet as Liverpool or Sao Paulo, but one thing is for sure: when the FIFA Club World Championship kicks off, Asia will be well represented by the Saudis. Twice champions of their continental zone, Ittihad are looking beyond their need for an opening match win over Egyptian neighbours Ahli. Indeed, when the trophy was displayed for the benefit of the local media in Jeddah, there was even talk of the trophy returning to the Kingdom on a permanent basis. "It would be a mistake to think we're visiting Japan just to make up the numbers," underlined their Sierra Leone striker and star player Mohamed Kallon. "We've got a specific target in mind and strongly believe we're capable of coming back to Jeddah with a certain item in our hands..." Kallon's cohorts, like the attacking midfielder Mohamed Noor, are all singing from the same hymn sheet. "We could well be the surprise team of the tournament. Our first match against Ahli will be key to deciding whether or not we do well. The fact that we're playing another Arab team -- albeit one from the African zone -- and one we happen to know quite well, will put added pressure on our shoulders. But there'll be even more on Ahli, as we've had by far the better of our encounters over recent years," Noor said. For the Saudis and the Egyptians, the match amounts to a derby, as the cities of Jeddah and Cairo are only two hours apart by plane. Noor's striking partner for the yellow and blacks, Hamzah Idris, is similarly bullish. "The winner of this duel between us and the Egyptians will automatically be proclaimed the best team in Asia and Africa. It's a massive challenge but Ittihad supplies over half the national side and is capable not only of overcoming this first hurdle but also seeing off Sao Paulo in the semi-final and then lifting the FIFA Club World Championship." So are the Saudis getting swept away with excitement, or could they really be cooking up a big surprise for their opponents? Waiting for the winner of the Ahli-Ittihad match in the semi-finals in Tokyo on 14 December are Copa Libertadores holders Sao Paulo. Breathtaking in their run to continental glory, the Tricolores', twice Toyota Cup champions (1992 and 1993), will be looking to add a third world title to their name and another strike for South America. The Brazilians, bolstered by the goalscoring abilities of keeper Rogerio Ceni and blessed by the presence of Cicinho and Grafite, are sure to be a team to watch. Barely a year old, Oceania's champions Sydney are readying for their biggest day out. After a long unbeaten run, they have taken time to find their feet in the new Australian A League but now up with the leaders, are hitting top form just at the right moment. Coached by German legend and former Yokohama FC boss Pierre Littbarski and including the iconic Kazu Miura, on loan from Yokohama, the Australians should be able to draw on the support of locals in the quest for glory in Japan. Meeting them in the quarter-finals in Toyota City on 12 December will be Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa. Led by former great Hernan Medford and spearheaded by the robust Ronald Gomez, the Purple Monster have devoured all before them so far in this year's championship and sit pretty at the top of the Tico table. The winners of that battle must face European giants Liverpool in the last four in Yokohama on 15 December. The UEFA Champions League winners have gone from strength- to-strength in Europe since that memorable night in Istanbul back in May, and are well on course to reach this season's knockout stage. English backbone and a strong Spanish presence have blended well and their star-studded line up performed more heroics in the latest round of international matches. The format of the championship has been criticised as being unfair since both the European and South American champions have a bye in the first round and go straight to the semi-final, while the Asian and African champions must meet at the beginning, as will the Concacaf and Oceania champions. Jose said it smacked of discrimination. "I can't understand. All these teams have played strong football to earn their titles as champions of their continents." But FIFA's John Schumacher of the Media Department explained at the press conference in Cairo that the championship's format wasn't meant to be so. "It's the history of the championship that has forced us to start in this way. The Europeans and South American champions have been meeting since the 1960's. That's why FIFA set it up as follows," adding that he could not say if the format will remain the same or change in the future. Schumacher had told Jose, "You are European and you understand the history." Ahli's record streak was set last week after the club defeated the Arab Contractors 3-1 in the domestic league. Several clubs have a longer unbeaten run but their games include only league games whereas Ahli's streak covers more than one championship; in their case the league and African Champions League which Ahli captured last month. Ahli's unbeaten run broke the 54-game streak held jointly by Santos of Brazil and Penarol of Uruguay in the 1960s. Super fan FIFA has launched the SuperFan Contest for the 2005 Club World Championship on FIFA's official Internet site, "http://www.fifa.com FIFA is offering fans of each team participating in the championship the opportunity to win a free trip to Japan to represent their team at the dawning of a new era in world club football. One lucky fan (and guest) of each of the six participating clubs will win a prize package that includes round-trip airfare to Japan, accommodation and match tickets to witness the continental showdown for the right to claim the crown of club world champion.
