The club with the most deserves the best. Inas Mazhar previews the elections for Ahli's presidency Hamdi El-Khatib Bagneid Badrawi A lot of eyes turn tomorrow to Ahli club, not because its famed football team is playing but because of elections for the club's presidency. The poll is all- important for he who rules Ahli rules the most famous club in Egypt, the Arab world and probably on the continent, and, it is often told, wields considerable influence within society. Thus the major candidates, the incumbent Hassan Hamdi and newcomer Hossam Badrawi, are running passionate campaigns which have been making increasing headlines over the weeks. Hamdi was elected easily the first time around when he took over following the death of Saleh Selim three years ago, but Badrawi, a former board member, is posing a serious challenge. Selim, the club's football icon, was often away in London for medical treatment when he was president. Hamdi was his deputy and helped run the club in Selim's absence. It was this particular stint as the steadying hand which earned Hamdi his popularity. He has the support of Selim's men who believe that he is the best man for the job after all the experience he gained as a board member, deputy president and president. His first involvement with fame came in football as a player. Hamdi is a former Ahli and national team defender who was dubbed by the media the "minister of defence". Al-Ahram Weekly caught up with Hamdi, who is also a board member of Al- Ahram Organisation and the head of its advertising department, two weeks ago in Hurghada. For all the commotion the elections have been making, he was calm and confident. "I know the club's members very well and they know me well," Hamdi said. "I am always available to listen and solve problems. They know how faithful I am to the club and they appreciate my efforts and services throughout the past years. "On my list there are big names who are well known to all Egyptians, not only Ahli club members." Hamdi was referring to Mahmoud El-Khatib, Egypt's former national team captain and arguably Egypt's most famous footballer, who is running for the vice presidency. Mahmoud Bagneid is a well-known businessman who eyes the treasury, "Hisham Said presented the club with lots of services especially the new premises at Nasr City," Hamdi continued. Egypt's golden fish Rania Elwani is another candidate for the board. Elwani is the best swimmer -- male or female -- the Arab world has ever produced. A two-gold medal winner at the Mediterranean Games in Italy in 1997, she placed 11th in the 2000 Sydney Games, the highest world ranking an Arab has ever reached in the pool. Now retired, Elwani is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee's players commission. "Do you see? We were already celebrities and made our names before we joined the board, not the opposite way around. So it was only normal that people trusted us and elected us. "With all due respect to all other candidates, no-one knew them except after they won in the last election and reached the board. Such candidates sought board membership to make names for themselves via Ahli club." We hope the elections go smoothly and that the club's members vote for the best man to run Ahli, whose football history is steeped in glory, culminating with its selection as the best African football team of the 20th century. One indication of who might win: more than 2,000 club members attended a symposium recently held by Hamdi to review his achievements and present his platform while only 400 members showed up at Badrawi's policy address.
