2006 Year in Review: Tragedy and Triumph

CAIRO (GoPharaohs.com) - A typical year will witness both ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations. Most years however will see one of the two themes prevailing over the other. But perhaps never has Egyptian football witnessed all of the good, the bad, and the ugly in such stark extremes as with 2006.

Tragedy

Without question, the most shocking and tragic events of the year - and of the past several for that matter - surrounded the deaths of three players, including international and El-Ahly winger Mohammed Abdel Wahab. At just 23 years old, the rising star died suddenly and mysteriously after collapsing to the ground 35 minutes into a training session with his club. Just three days prior, Ahmed Wahid and Rami Gomaa of Tersana were killed in a car accident.

The deaths sent shock waves through the nation. El-Ahly pronounced three days of mourning, and President Hosny Mubarak sent his condolences to the club. Ahly immediately discussed paying the player’s LE1 million/year salary to his family, and the Egyptian Football Association announced that the gate proceeds from the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi were to also be awarded to Abdel Wahab’s family.

Mohammed Abdel Wahab, who was widely regarded as Egypt’s best left-back prospect since Mohammed Emara, will always be remembered as a championship player and person. The powerful, versatile defender was a key cog in Egypt’s African Cup of Nations triumph in February - and just months earlier - helped his club reach top regional honors as well, with El-Ahly winning the African Champions League.

On the football field, what will undoubtedly stick out most for Egyptian football fans when pondering the low-lights of the year that was, is the national team’s failure to reach the FIFA World Cup finals for the fourth time in a row. Africa’s ‘group of death,’ coupled with administrative decisions from the Egyptian FA that left fans scratching their heads, proved too much for the Pharaohs to overcome. A determined, talent-laden Cote d’Ivoire side eventually won the group in 2005, beating Egypt twice in the process. The 2004 loss to the Elephants was Egypt’s first ever at home to an African team in World Cup qualifying. A loss that, like the overall failure to reach the World Cup, will inevitibley be linked to the hiring of unproven, inexperienced Italian manager Marco Tardelli earlier that year.

On the domestic front, it was a year to forget for Zamalek and their supporters. A year filled with turmoil on and off the field for the white tribe included finishing the 2005/2006 league season a full 14 points behind arch rivals El-Ahly, and failure to beat the Red Devils for the ninth straight time.

The year was a mixed bag for Egyptians playing their trade abroad. Ahmed Hassan continues to be the workhorse that’s brought him to prominence over the last 10 years. His exploits abroad and with the national team continue to make him one of the most consistent Egyptian players ever. After a promising start to the premiership season, 23-year-old striker Mido finished the league year on the bench thanks to problems with form and injuries. This Premier League season has kicked off much the way as the last one ended for the former Ajax phenom.

Mohammed Zidan showed flashes of the brilliance that inspired calls for his addition to the national team, but was largely inconsistent. Zidan did finally debut for the Pharaohs, but distrust and questions surrounding his character have made many Egyptians unhappy with his entrance into the national fold.

Triumph

The consensus highlight of 2006 for Egyptian football was of course the record fifth African Cup of Nations triumph in February. But in any other year, the highlight would’ve been Cairo giants El-Ahly’s second consecutive and fifth-ever African Champions League title. Even that, however, was trumped by a bronze medal-winning performance at the FIFA Club World Cup, the best-ever finish by a team from the Middle East or North Africa in a FIFA sanctioned event at the senior level.

Egypt’s Nations’ Cup-winning effort came as a surprise to many, still moping over the team’s World Cup qualifying failure. The numbers left little doubt though over just how well the Pharaohs played. Egypt scored more goals than anyone (12) and had the tournament’s best defense, with a 0.5 goals against (including one own-goal) average per game to their credit. Egypt never trailed for a single second in any match. For Egypt’s World Cup-starved faithful, nothing short of the gold would have done in a tournament being hosted at home after failing to qualify for Germany 2006.

Despite yet another World Cup absence, the feats of Egypt at both the international and club level in 2006 were enough to spoil even the most demanding of fans. In order for Egyptian football to equal or surpass the exploits of the past year, the powers that be must not rest on their collective laurels. Instead, lessons need to be extracted from every event - good and bad - that transpired during the past year and applied to the future. El-Ahly, for example, showed the nation what Egyptian football is capable of producing with sound management and administration, something the national team has lacked for years. The untimely passing of Abdel Wahab taught us that even with the tremendous advancements in medicine over the decades, there are still strides to be made to ensure the health and safety of our athletes; with the regularity of routine checkups increasing as a minimum.

Here’s hoping that the challenges of the past year will contribute to the successes of tomorrow, both for Egyptian football and for you.