Ahli and Zamalek, who played last week and will meet again on Sunday, are keeping Egyptians busy. Alaa Abdel-Ghani explains the sedative effect the encounters are having on the population If football is the opium of the Egyptian masses, then this week's double derby should prove the overdose. Nonsense, of course. Egyptians can never get enough of their Ahli and Zamalek, an encounter which, as has been related forever, is in and of itself a championship. And in the span of one hectic, enthralling week, we are being treated to not one but two of the best derby duels in this country, the Arab world and Africa. Correctly determining the outcome of next Sunday's Super Cup, pitting Ahli the league victor against cup winners Zamalek, is as impossible as predicting the when and where of the next earthquake. But the African Champions League clash seven days earlier between the same two sides served up valuable pointers in what to expect. All things considered, and there was much to consider, Ahli's 2-1 triumph was achieved in a match of middling performance. The so-so game was played against the backdrop of several new, million dollar faces appearing for the first time on either end of the pitch; the absence of big name players out injured in the main; a new coach holding Zamalek's reins for the first time; a long summer layoff from local league and cup fixtures; Zamalek's hot-tempered board elections which were scheduled for tomorrow but were postponed by a court order (an interim board is to be announced); and the nature of the prize being fought for, the Champions League being the most coveted award for a football squad on the continent. This accumulation of factors conspired to lessen the level of what is usually far better derby performances. Ahli in particular did not perform like a team which has won the last four league titles (33 in all), two of the last three African Champions Leagues, and enjoyed a record-breaking 55 match unbeaten run. Nor did Zamalek appear as the team chosen right behind when Ahli was selected the best African club of the century. The game certainly belied the history of these hundred year old clubs. Despite the win, Ahli did not play like its name, which translates as "The National". Wearing the old red colours of the pre- colonial flag, Ahli were seen as a team for the nation, a bulwark against British occupation and a chance for the average man on the street to come together for a common nationalistic cause. Zamalek, in white, were considered the team of the foreigner (aka the British) and the outsider. The team traditionally attracted the British, their allies, the authors, poets and intellectuals who were uneasy with Egypt's newfound nationalistic confidence. In the red corner you had the poor and the proud; in the white the liberal and bourgeois. Today the divisions still remain, but on the field last week, the teams were united in sharing the blame for the low quality product they produced. The abstinence of free flowing soccer also failed to further enhance Egypt's reputation in the sport which is currently enjoying something of a boom. Both Zamalek and Ahli share the record for the most African Champions League titles (five apiece), their players (Amr Zaki and Emad Meteb are the latest going to England) are coveted by some of the best leagues in the world and the national team has won a second successive Africa Cup of Nations. Now that the two teams have shaken off the rust that fossilised last Sunday, next Sunday should be a livelier affair. Both sides' ranks will be reinforced by new signings who were not eligible to play in the African Champions League. The derby's unpredictability forces all bets off, however Ahli might assume the upper hand. Last week's win reinforced Ahli's near total dominance over Zamalek in recent years. There have now been 127 competitive meetings between the two teams. Counting last Sunday, Ahli have won 52 times and Zamalek 33. In their last 11 meetings, Zamalek have won only once and drew the other. In the Super Cup, out of the seven played thus far, Ahli have won four, including the last three, while Zamalek took the first two. Included as Zamalek's nemesis must also be Ahli's hyper Portuguese coach Manuel Jose, who supposedly turned down a possible offer to coach his homeland in order to remain with Ahli and who believes he is better than Jose Mourinho. Jose has now beaten Zamalek 11 times out of 15, losing three and tying once. Nothing on the scale of previous meetings is anticipated in the Super Cup. Immediately following last week's game, there were no reported incidents of the past which has seen riots, overturned cars, a league season postponed and a wife stabbed to death by a Zamalek- supporter husband whose team had just lost the derby. She had apparently brought home a watermelon whose colour inside was red (what other colour did hubby expect)? Despite such indignities, the derby matches are played not to create problems but to run away from them. High inflation? Who cares? Higher unemployment? Big deal. Religious friction and stunted democratic growth? So what? Ahli and Zamalek are playing on Sunday. (see p.12)
