With only ten months to go before the 2006 African Nations Cup, Inas Mazhar wonders if preparations for one of the world's biggest sports events are going in the right direction At a press conference in August last summer, the then Youth Minister Anas El-Fiqi announced the names of the organising committee for the African Nations Cup (ANC) which Egypt is hosting in January 2006. The announcement was supposed to have marked the start of preparations as well as the countdown. Seven months later, almost nothing of merit has been done with regards to the third biggest football event after the World Cup and Euro Cup of Nations. The tournament is expected to attract more than 4.5 billion viewers watching 80 international TV stations. It could be a boon for Egypt -- or a big bust. The stadiums -- Cairo Stadium, and the Arab Contractors, Alexandria, Ismailia and the Coastal Guards -- are in bad shape and renovation is progressing ever so slowly, raising questions as to whether they will be ready in time. There is not enough money in the till; in fact there is no place for the organising committee to work in. Any meetings, discussions, or even paperwork is being conducted on the premises of the private office of the committee's head Hani Abou Reida. Not helping matters was the sudden switch in jobs between the information and youth ministers. The resignation of the tournament director Hisham El-Kheishen added to the atmosphere of crisis. El-Fiqi was youth minister for only eight months; his successor, Mamdouh El-Beltagui, has been youth minister for only a few weeks. El-Beltagui heading the Ministry of Youth means that by extension he is head of the Supreme Organising Committee of the 2006 African Nations Cup. El-Beltagui, who served as minister of tourism for a decade, has spent most of his time breaking in as the youth minister. This initiation period has left him little time to concentrate on 2006. In fact, only one meeting has been held between El-Beltagui and Abou Reida concerning the ANC. "During our meeting I informed the minister of the general outlines we had previously set forth with the former minister in order to get a complete picture the event, its importance and the budget needed for the project," said Abou Reida. "I also presented all the offers we received from foreign and national companies who are experts in opening and closing ceremonies." Abou Reida added that the opening ceremony might be planned by a foreign company. "Renovation is going on at all venues to meet FIFA conditions, especially Cairo Stadium which needs LE105 million," Abou Reida added. "So far, we have received only LE45 million but we hope we get the rest soon in order to finish the stadium in October as was scheduled. "Cairo Stadium will be transformed into one of the best in the world. Egyptians will be proud of it," he said, adding that the other stadiums will also be refurbished but not quite like Cairo Stadium. "Still, spectators will notice the difference," Abou Reida said. The resignation of El-Kheishen was a major blow organisation-wise. Rumours had it that El- Kheishen had resigned because of problems between the organising committee and government officials. But El-Kheishen said flatly that was not the case. "The main reason for my resignation was because I am so busy with my private business in sports marketing. I don't have the time to dedicate myself fully to this big event and it's a responsibility. I don't want to let the people who trusted me down," El-Kheishen told Al- Ahram Weekly. He also said he was involved with a few of the sponsors of the tournament "which I believe could create a conflict of interest. So out of fairness I decided to step down. "I didn't run away because I am sure that these problems can be solved," El-Kheishen said. "It's only normal and I believe that the organisers will overcome them. There is still time to stage the most spectacular and extravagant event ever in the history of the African Nations Cup once the problems are solved and the road is cleared for the organisers," El-Kheishen added. Khaled Abdel-Aziz, the former assistant tournament director, now jumps ahead and replaces El-Kheishen as director. "No news so far," Abdel-Aziz recently told the Weekly. "The minister is busy in ministerial meetings in Sharm El- Sheikh of Arab sports ministers, then domestic ministerial meetings in Cairo," Abdel-Aziz said, adding that the public need not worry. "In about one week all matters will be cleared up and revealed to the public. Earlier next week we are meeting with the minister as well as top officials of state and we hope we will have good news to announce to the public to assuage their fears. Then we'll start moving," Abdel-Aziz said. Much of the world will be closely watching Cairo during the ANC, and not just because of the tournament. Five months down the road will be the World Cup in Germany, and World Cup participants and scouts will be keenly interested in the five African nations that qualified. The media and the public are thus concerned and are questioning Egypt's ability to hold the ANC which it has done twice before, the first time in 1959 and the last being in 1986.
