Walking through the streets of Cairo on Friday night one could see a lot of gloomy and disappointed faces and very few cars roaming the streets…something uncharacteristic of the Egyptian capital. Football is not just a sport to Egyptians; it's a way of life. And Ahli is not merely a sports club; it's a national entity. Nevertheless, Egyptians should not get melodramatic over Ahli's 3-1 defeat to Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in the final of the CAF Champions League in Cairo or blow things out of proportion. Even though Friday's defeat ended Ahli's hegemony over African football for the past three years. The Cairo powerhouse was the team to beat, and Etoile did that fair and square. But Ahli's players, coaching staff, administration and fans have nothing to be ashamed of. This club has represented Egypt with pride and put a smile on the faces of million of Egyptians and Arabs for a few years now. As for Ahli's coach Manuel Jose, the man managed to build a true dynasty that included players like Mohamed Abou-Treika, Essam Al-Hadari, Shady Mohamed, Mohamed Barakat, Gilberto and other great players. He introduced a team with character, tactical intelligence and heart that managed to produce some magnificent football. Overall, Ahli was the better team over the span of 180 minutes played in the final in Sousse and Cairo. The Egyptian giants managed to contain their energetic hosts in the first-leg to come out with a goalless draw.
But Ahli's players, coaching staff, administration and fans have nothing to be ashamed of. This club has represented Egypt with pride and put a smile on the faces of million of Egyptians and Arabs for a few years now. Even in Cairo, Ahli could have settled the game early in the first half, but missed chances from Flavio, Abou-Treika and jinxed striker Emad Meteb did not help. Even when Etolie took the lead against the run of play, Ahli players needed only a few minutes before returning to the game through Emad Al-Nahhas's powerful header. But the veteran defender turned culprit when he was shown the red card for a clumsy challenge on Amin Chermiti, making things harder for the Egyptians and limiting Jose's substitution options. At the end of the day, Etoile went home with the trophy, thanks to the persistence, pace of their players and some luck, allowing their French coach, Bertrand Marchand, to enjoy the first trophy in his twenty-two year coaching career. People would be wrong to think that Ahli will not win again very soon, on the contrary, great clubs bounce back, even stronger than before. It might be an end of an era for a team that managed to win every single trophy there is for the past three years. And it might be the end of the road for some veteran players like Al-Hadari, Al-Nahhas, Islam Al-Shater and Wael Gomaa. But definitely, Ahli still have a chance at winning local titles this season and possibly even a shot at competing for the continental title if they bring in young, dedicated and talented players in the winter and summer transfer windows. We have to salute this generation of Ahli players for finishing second, and giving Egyptian football fans something to look for and enduring three hectic years of continuous competing. It might be an end of an era, but it's definitely not the end of Ahli.
