SPORTS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 In , even football struggles to unite

CAIRO: In football-crazy Egypt, Ahmed Khawaga is deadly crackdown on Islamists that followed the mil- celebrate every Pharaohs victory. But Egypt, who Egypt’s newspapers have been shrinking each day one of the national team’s most devoted fans. But itary’s ouster of president on July 3. have clinched seven Africa Cup of Nations titles, to make space for political news as events continue today even he feels the beautiful game is struggling The current “war on terrorism” launched by the failed to qualify for the two latest finals tourna- to shake the country. to unite a deeply divided country. army-installed authorities has dominated the head- ments. All the festivities now seem far away. Sometimes, politics and football become inter- Late yesterday, Egypt meets in the final lines, amid security related problems in . “How can I focus on football when my friends are twined. In February, in several canal cities, round of qualifiers for the World Cup to be held in Khawaga-as he is known by supporters of being killed on the streets,” says Amr Lotfi, a sales thousands took to the streets defying night-time Brazil next year, and the Pharaohs have a chance of Zamalek of which he is an active member-believes assistant in the capital. Zaki Abdel Fattah, the curfews imposed by Morsi after death sentences making it to the tournament for the first time since that “today, it’s impossible to regroup Egyptians Pharaohs goalkeeping coach and deputy to were handed down to locals for their involvement in 1990. A week ago, Egypt secured a place in the FIBA behind their national team”. In a turbulent two-and- American manager , says the political a deadly football stadium riot in 2012 in which 74 Basketball World Cup for the first time in two a-half years, Egyptians have endured a revolution conditions are “obvious”. But he remains hopeful. “To people were killed. decades. But despite the exciting prospects for the that ousted longtime autocrat , 16 qualify for the World Cup would be a moment of joy Since 2011, hardcore football fans known as the country’s national sports teams, few Egyptians are months of rocky rule by a military junta, and the that would reunite all Egyptians,” he says. “ultras” had used their training and organisation to paying attention. These days the traditionally foot- overthrow of an elected Islamist leader. So far, events on the ground have frequently dis- lead protests against the military council that ruled ball-mad nation is more focused on politics after Each phase was marred by clashes and deadly rupted the Egyptian league schedule, and interna- Egypt after Mubarak and before Morsi was elected two and a half years of turmoil that has left the crackdowns that have left thousands of people tional matches in Egypt are played with no specta- with large turnouts and shock slogans. country bitterly divided and dispirited. dead. “Sport doesn’t interest anyone anymore; peo- tors, draining the game of its spirit and causing Recently, popular Egyptian striker Mohammed Egypt’s national team has long cemented a sense ple only care about politics now,” says Khawaga. enthusiasm to wane. Under Bradley’s watch, the Aboutrika was slammed by many for going against of national unity, bringing together even the fiercest The manager of one Cairo cafe can hardly believe Pharaohs will be playing out of the spotlight again the popular current and taking a stand against the of rivals-fans of Cairo’s top football clubs Al-Ahly and the new reality. His clients, all sports fans, are now yesterday. For security reasons, the match against military’s crackdown on Islamists. Zamalek. glued to the news and political talk shows. Guinea will be played without any spectators at El- But if he were to qualify with the national team But today, it would take much more than a foot- “In the past, you couldn’t put anything on the tel- Gouna, a resort on the Red Sea almost 500 kilome- for the World Cup, the winds may once again blow ball tournament to band Egyptians together after a evision that wasn’t football,” he says. Crowds used to tres (300 miles) south of Cairo. Sports pages in in his favor. — AFP Lights out for Uzbeks as Jordan wins shoot-out

TASHKENT: Jordan endured a floodlights failure and won a marathon penalty shoot-out 9-8 against to reach an intercontinental play-off for next year’s World Cup in dramatic fashion yesterday. The nerveless visitors came back after conceding an early goal, leaving the scores at 1-1 at full-time, and then held firm despite an 18-minute delay when the lights went at Pakhtakor Stadium. And in a gripping shoot-out they were able to celebrate a scarcely believable triumph when Anzur Ismailov failed to convert the decisive spot-kick. Jordan, who were held 1-1 at home in last week’s first leg, now go into a two-legged tie against the South America’s fifth placed quali- fiers-currently Uruguay-for their first ever World Cup spot. But the result meant further heart- break for Uzbekistan, who also went out after a chaotic game in when they last reached this stage eight years ago. The evening had started promisingly for the hosts when they took full advantage of a free- kick for an infringement on the edge of the box on just five minutes. Two-time Asian player of the year Server Djeparov’s curling delivery was parried into the path of Ismailov, who buried the rebound on the TASHKENT: Uzbekistan’s Odi Ahmedov (top) and Jordan’s Ahmed Saleh fight for the ball dur- far post. ing their World Cup Asia qualifying playoff soccer match. — AP The White Wolves were in the ascendancy for most of the first half but Jordan fired a warn- Uzbekistan nearly struck again when one of his The incident sucked any remaining urgency ing when Ahmed Saleh grazed the netting with free-kicks found the head of debutant Igor from the game and, with little attacking threat a snap shot on 40 minutes. Sergeev. Jordan appeared content to play for from either side, there was no surprise when it And just two minutes later, Saeed Murjan lev- extra-time and there was no surprise when the went to a penalties. elled the tie when he ran onto to a loose clear- game went to an additional 30 minutes, with Uzbekistan missed their first two spot-kicks EGYPT: Egypt’s (left) vies with Guinea’s Habib Balde during ance and rammed a scorching half-volley past penalties looming. A Djeparov free-kick felled before hauling themselves back into the shoot- their FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifying football match at Al-Gouna stadium. —AFP Murotjon Zukhurov in the Uzbek goal. Jordan’s Adnan Suleiman when it caught him in out. But as the teams traded successful kicks With the stakes sky-high, the game the face and Uzbekistan’s Ivan Nagaev was Ismailov, scorer of Uzbekistan’s goal in normal remained surprisingly open and both sides booked for diving when he tumbled in the box. play, turned fall guy as his failed attempt put Egypt see off Guinea threw on attacking players in the early stages of But there were farcical scenes when, 10 Jordan through. Uzbekistan also suffered a bitter the second half. minutes into the first extra period, the flood- defeat in the Asian play-offs in 2005, when they JOHANNESBURG: Egypt Sherif Ekrami led to the early bonus for Uzbek substitute Sanjar Tursunov needed lights failed at the venerable venue, prompting had a successful penalty against Bahrain chalked Mohamed Abou Trika celebrated his 100th Guinea as they sought to avenge a 3-2 home only to choose his spot when he was picked out loud jeers and a delay of 18 minutes. off for encroachment. cap by scoring one goal and creating three in loss last year. by Jasur Khasanov near the hour-mark, but he Both teams were forced to leave the field for Their eventual 1-0 win in Tashkent was then a 4-2 World Cup qualifying win over 10-man The home side gradually took control and blazed over wastefully from inside the box. an interruption that was so long that players and surprisingly annulled over the refereeing error, Guinea yesterday. almost levelled midway through the half Djeparov, his crewcut embellished with light- officials were seen doing warm-up stretches and Bahrain drew the replay 1-1 edging the tie The result of the Group H dead rubber when goalkeeper Naby Yattara clawed away a ning-shaped tramlines, remained a handful and before the game restarted. on away goals. — AFP maintained the 100 percent record of the ‘’ free-kick. ‘Pharaohs’ as they chase a first World Cup Ibrahima Bangoura had a half-chance at appearance since the 1990 finals in Italy. the other end five minutes later, but his tame Bunk beds and dreams of glory: Abou Trika is the ninth Egyptian footballer effort trickled into the hands of Ekrami. Egypt to reach the 100-cap milestone and retired equalised seven minutes before the break compatriot Ahmed Hassan holds the world when volleyed into the net record with 184 national team appearances. after an Abou Trika free-kick was not cleared. Life in the Afghan Egypt finished with 18 points, Guinea 10, Early second-half drama saw Guinea cap- Mozambique three and two in a tain Kamil Zayatte red carded for handling a : Being signed by a premiership club was a mini-league dominated from start to finish by goal-bound shot and Abou Trika converted dream come true for 19-year-old striker Emal the seven-time African champions. the resulting penalty. Mangal, even if top-level football in Fears of crowd trouble in politically turbu- But 10-man Guinea hit back just six min- means being paid $9 (7 euros) a day and living in lent and security sensitive Egypt meant the utes later when Seydouba Soumah beat El the same house as 143 other players. game was staged in El-Gouna-far from popu- Abd to the ball and raced clear to net. Mangal is a key member of De Abasin Sape, one lar football venues Cairo and . Yattara saved superbly from ‘Shikabala’ of eight teams in the highly-competitive second It was the first time the Pharaohs have and Guinea substitute Mohamed Yattara was season of the (APL) in played at the Red Sea watersports resort, 450 spared embarrassment by being ruled offside Kabul. Matches are played over seven weeks in a kilometres north-east of capital city Cairo. The after missing a sitter. new stadium, and players from regional teams rudimentary 12,000-seat stadium has also Egypt nudged in front again with seven across the country are provided with free accom- been used recently for African club fixtures by minute left and Abou Trika was involved once modation and food at a sprawling mansion in the Cairo powerhouses Al-Ahly and Zamalek. more, back-flicking the ball to Mohamed suburbs. Such communal living is a far cry from the Egypt made a disastrous start, falling Salah, who rounded the goalkeeper and lifestyle of professional footballers in Europe, behind after only four minutes when Adam El scored. There was no stopping Abou Trika as where 24-year-old Gareth Bale from Wales last Abd from English second-tier outfit Brighton he put through on goal and a drive week signed with Real Madrid for a pay packet conceded an own goal. from the substitute landed in the net off reported to be worth more than $60,000 a day. A mix-up between El Abd and goalkeeper Mohamed Sakho. — AFP “We are here all together, eating and living and sleeping in the same place. It is great fun,” said Mangal, a third-year medical student standing out- Europe’s clubs wary of side his dormitory after morning training. “Everyone is friends in the house, but when we get on the pitch, that finishes and we are big rivals.” winter 2022 World Cup Between six and eight teammates share each bed- room, sleeping in bunk beds and surrounded by : Europe’s football clubs on Tuesday nations, in particular England, have cried foul piles of football shirts, socks, suitcases, and mobile flagged concerns about plans to shift the at the idea of holding the globe’s most- phones blasting out Indian pop music. KABUL: Afghan footballers participate in a training session at the Kabul stadium. Some 144 Afghan 2022 World Cup to the winter to avoid host watched sporting event in January and They stack personal belongings and pots of footballers, who represent eight regional teams in the Afghan Premier League (APL), are accommo- ’s stifling summer heat, amid fears of February, however. They underline that Qatar green tea along window sills, hang sheets around dated in a sprawling house in the Afghan capital where they live, eat and sleep. — AFP havoc in their leagues. bid to host the tournament during Europe’s beds to get some privacy and share one bathroom named after the 1880 Afghan battlefield victory Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) stadium, an Bayern Munich boss Karl-Heinz June-July close season, and that a change between about 10, as well as do all their own laun- Rummenigge, head of the European Club would disrupt their domestic leagues. over the British. artificial pitch funded by the FIFA world governing dry. But, under the beady eye of a supervisor, “We are all Pashtuns in our squad but we are body. Association, said there was major disquiet Rummenigge said heat was part and par- sweaty kit and bags of footballs are kept outside among its 214 member teams about the cel of football, recalling the stifling weather friendly with the Tajik players from Herat, with But training is held at the where the bedrooms, and the house is surprisingly order- Harzaras, with everyone,” said Mohammad matches during the 1996-2001 regime fea- idea, floated by FIFA and backed by UEFA. when he played in the 1986 World Cup final ly considering its large community of young male “We would like to be involved in the deci- in Mexico. Northern hemisphere summer Mohammadzai, 22, a primary school teacher from tured half-time public executions with murderers residents. “After two-hours practice every day, we who plays for Maiwand Atalan. shot, criminals hung from goalposts and thieves’ sion-making process on a serious and high dates have been stuck to in the past even are so tired that we just relax afterwards, talking or level. Because it is of course impacting our when the World Cup was staged in the “I have taken special leave without pay to play, hands cut off. Now, each morning, the Ghazi pitch watching football from Spain or England on the tel- and we get 500 Afghanis ($9) a day for being in the instead echoes to the shouts of APL coaches as business, so we want to have the guarantee southern hemisphere-the weather at the evision,” said Mangal, who scored in his team’s that we will be involved in the decision-mak- 2010 edition in was often chilly, league. “It is a very good tournament but I am away they drill their teams through complex practice opening game on Friday (30). from home for two months which is too long.” routines and gruelling fitness tests. ing process,” the former Germany star told for example. But Blatter argues that June “We miss our families, so we call them by tele- reporters as the ECA’s general assembly and July are never set in stone, and that Mohammadzai-known to his friends as Zidane Back at the house, the high-spirited Oqaban phone often. My dad is so excited because the after the retired French star -said Hindukush (“Hindu Kush Eagles”) break out into a wrapped up in Geneva. rescheduling would reflect football’s global matches are on the television and he can see me Sepp Blatter, president of global football’s appeal by showing that anyone can host the that playing football offered a welcome distraction dance, clapping and shouting to kill time before play.” The league is split into eight teams covering from the bombings and violence that are part of lunch is served outside on metal trays under a col- governing body FIFA, has insisted that shift- World Cup. The 2022 edition will be the first the whole country to give all Afghans a side to sup- ing the World Cup from its traditional in the Arab world. Asked whether choosing life in Afghanistan. orful awning. On the floor above, team logos stuck port, and it hopes to promote better ethnic ties “Football as a job is not possible in this country, onto doors show the way to rooms for the Herat- months of June and July makes sense for Qatar was wrongheaded, Rummenigge after decades of warfare and conflict. 2022. Summer temperatures in the Gulf can responded: “I believe everybody was a bit so this is a very good time for us,” he said. “Outside based Toofan Harirod, where players hone their De Abasin Sape-”Father of Rivers” as the Indus Kandahar city is still very dangerous for everyone. skills on a PlayStation console game pitting hit a blistering 50 degrees Celsius (122 surprised.” “But I don’t know if it was a mis- river is known-is made up of the volatile southeast- degrees Fahrenheit), but cool to the mid-20s take, because the policy of FIFA was always We have to hope for a better future.” Chelsea against Barcelona. ern provinces of Ghazni, Paktia, Paktika, , The APL, sponsored by mobile phone company “We won the APL last year and hope to win in the winter. This week, Blatter upped the to bring the World Cup to different conti- Logar and Wardak. ante by saying it was not responsible to play nents,” he noted. He said European football Roshan, has attracted crowds of a few thousand to again as we have the best players and the most Kandahar and Helmand provinces, the heart- each match, and Tolo TV claimed an audience of 12 experience,” said Mohammed Naqib Azadany, 24. in Qatar in the summer, even though tech- understood fully that it was not alone on the land of a 12-year Taliban insurgency, are represent- nology exists to cool venues. European planet. —AFP million for Afghanistan’s recent home victory over “Of course, we all want to go on to play for the ed by De Maiwand Atalan-the “Heroes of Maiwand”, Pakistan. All games take place in the 6,000-capacity national team.” —AFP