Ahli of Egypt won a record sixth CAF African Champions League crown after drawing 2-2 with Coton Sport of Cameroon. Inas Mazhar covered the pulsating final and the joys on Cairo's streets The Egyptian giants, title favourites from the start of the competition in February, triumphed 4- 2 on aggregate following their victory in Cairo two weeks ago. Ahli not only beat their opponents but other obstacles as well including the conditions and the hostile environment in the second leg of the final in Garoua. The players played in the heat which reached over 40 degrees Celsius. The victory not only gave Ahli the a $1 million cheque, but also a place alongside the likes of Manchester United and Liga de Quito in next month's FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. As soon as the team were crowned the new African champions, the board of directors announced that each member of the team would receive LE200,000 as a bonus. However, reports say the sum might increase to at least LE500,000 from businessmen and organisations. Ahmed Hassan gave Ahli a 38th minute lead, before Lassina Karim levelled the score in first half stoppage time. Ousmaila Baba then edged Coton Sport in front on 63 minutes, but Ahli's captain Shadi Mohamed secured Ahli the tie and victory with a last-minute penalty. Coton Sport, which was appearing in their first Champions League final, dominated a high- tempo match in baking heat, before a 35,000 crowd at the Roumde-Adja Stadium in Garoua, only to waste a series of chances. The result gave Ahli their third Champions League title in four years. They had finished as runners-up in 2007 after suffering a shock 3-1 home defeat by Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in the final at Cairo Stadium. The result ended Coton Sport's seven- match winning run at home in the Champions League. It was also the first time they had conceded two goals in Garoua since making their debut in the competition 10 years ago. Ahli head coach Manuel Jose has thus become the most successful coach in the history of Egyptian football. On Sunday, he was the happiest. "It was a good game and the players were at their best. They were determined to win, and that's why they followed instructions. Coton Sport were a tough opponent but I think in the end we deserved winning the title. "This is a fantastic team, great players who have managed to win the African Champions League three times in four years. It's a great club. It's 101 years old and has 103 football titles. "Qualifying for the FIFA World Clubs Championship in Japan for the third time is a great achievement in the history of the club and the championship itself. We will try to do our best this time and we hope we can do even better than our last third place finish. We will not be there for fun but will try to be the best representatives of the African continent and give proof that we deserve our reputation. "The Ahli fans played a big role throughout our campaign since the beginning of the competition. They have been so supportive back home. Special thanks to the fans who travelled with us all over the continent. "Meanwhile, we must focus on the national competition, the league, and we have an important match with Zamalek in the derby. We want to add this title as well. Of course, we know they want to win but so do we," Jose said. Ahli club football director and trainer Hossam El-Badri described the team as 'the golden team.' "This is a golden era in the history of the Ahli club and in the history of these players. The players have won many competitions on all levels -- national, regional and international. We can't say they were lucky; they have broken records because of hard work. This is the result of years and years of dedication and loyalty to the sport. These players are the best in many football generations." Ahmed Hassan, who opened the scoring in the match, was ecstatic with his first crown with his new club Ahli. The Egyptian national team captain joined Ahli last June, ending a 10-year career of professional football in Europe. "I'm glad to have won such a major title with Ahli in my first year with the club," Hassan said. "Now I'm glad I joined Ahli because I was sure it was a big club and with it I would be adding more achievements to my record. Ahli is the best team in Africa, no doubt about that, " Hassan told ART following the victory. "The victory is so special. We played in terrible conditions starting from the hostile environment to the heat. Away victories are usually more precious than at home. "Coton Sport was a strong team. They were playing at home and had the advantage but I believe it was the Ahli experience that gave us the title. "Congratulations to everyone, those who are here with us in Garoua and those back home in Egypt. And special thanks to Ahli officials who have been backing and supporting us all the way since the beginning. Their efforts have been rewarded, " said Hassan, the Egyptian hawk, as dubbed by the local media. Hassan was injured and missed the second half of the game. Amir Abdel-Hamid, Ahli's number one goalkeeper after the departure of Essam El-Hadari was as happy as Hassan. "It was a tough match but we all played a collective game and understood each other which made it easier for us. The result of the first leg match in Cairo helped us here and gave us more confidence and made it difficult for the opponents. "Personally, I'm so happy with the victory and with myself. It is my first African final with Ahli. I was there the past three years but didn't play. I was always on the bench. It is so special for me because I contributed to the success. I hope we will do good in Japan," Abdel-Hamid said. Defender Wael Gomaa complained about the pitch. "It was one of the worst pitches we've played on. It was a difficult game but we are happy with the final result. We remained cautious and alert during the game. The goals conceded were our mistakes but the final result was our target and we reached it. Jose's instructions to us were clear. We were told to keep our composure and focus on the ball and nothing else," Gomaa, who scored Ahli's opening header in the first leg match, said. According to reports from Garoua, Ahli's chairman Hassan Hamdi and his board members were prevented from entering the VIP tribune because they were told it was full and there were no seats available. Luckily, CAF president Eissa Hayatou intervened and escorted Hamdi to the VIP tribune. Garoua is the hometown of Hayatou. The other four Ahli board members, who comprised the official delegation, were asked to sit in the stands with the Cameroonian fans who voiced their disapproval of the Egyptians sitting with them. Accordingly, Hamdi refused to join in the medals ceremony after the game, objecting to the rudeness and hostile treatment the Ahli officials suffered from their hosts. Hamdi was also upset on seeing several Egyptian satellite channels cameras broadcasting the game, which Ahli club see as their exclusive right. Egyptian media were just as unlucky as the officials. They arrived in the stadium to discover that there were no media seats reserved for them at the media tribune. They failed to find anyone from the African Federation to solve the problem. Thanks to a member of the Egyptian Embassy, additional chairs were brought into the stands for media representatives. Because of the disorganisation the Ahli delegation, media people as well as the Egyptian fans flew back home right after the game, arriving at Cairo International Airport before dawn. But the mess was quickly forgotten after Ahli were crowned winners for a sixth time, breaking the previous record of five they shared with Egyptian side Zamalek. In Cairo, celebrations broke out all over the country as soon as the referee blew the final whistle. TV and radio programmes transmitted songs composed for the Ahli victory and praising the players one by one. Interestingly, some of the songs included the name of the club's former goalkeeper El-Hadari who left for Swiss club Sion earlier this year without notifying Ahli. But Abdel-Bari Zaher, a radio presenter at the Egyptian Youth and Sports Radio network, revealed that the songs have been composed a year ago on the same occasion when Ahli was playing against Etoile of Tunisia in the final. Because Ahli lost then, the songs were never put on the radio. Driving in the streets of Cairo after the game was a huge risk. Main squares, roads and streets were all blocked as fans celebrated, singing and dancing and causing huge traffic jams. The worst place was the area surrounding the Ahli club in Gezira where the team trains. Jubilant fans blocked one side of the street facing the main entrance of the club and prevented cars from passing through. Police did not wish to mar the celebrations but tried to make traffic smoother. It was very difficult to walk on foot with the thousands of fans surrounding the club. And in the midst of all the celebrations, from atop white limousine a bride and groom popped up and started celebrating with the fans who blew whistles and beat their drums for them. But as the celebrations heated up and the crowds started surrounding the car, the couple were advised to drive away. As soon as the news broke that the team would arrive within a few hours, fans rushed to the airport to book a place there before the stampede and before security officials blocked the roads. The team was given a heroic welcome as soon as they arrived. Fans and media struggled to get close to the players. It took hours for the players to reach their homes. Ahli's international players joined the national team right after their return for the international friendly against Benin which was scheduled for yesterday.
