Egypt mourns

This was much more than a defeat

Soccer Laduma’s Thomas Kwenaite, once again, contacted Dr Hossam Hassan Aboubaker in Cairo for his views about the game as well as his predictions for the second leg match scheduled for Cairo this Saturday.

Thomas Kwenaite: What was your reaction to the score? Dr Hossam Hassan Aboubaker:

I’m gutted, traumatized, just like more than 50 million other people across the country. I know some people are in foul moods, others did not eat at all, while a lot more did not report for duty the next day. This was the worst performance ever by Al-Ahly.

TK: What do you think they did wrong on the day? HHA:

From the first 10 minutes, it was abundantly clear that this was not going to be Al-Ahly’s day. I expected the players and the technical team to at least focus on defending, tighten the defence and try to minimize the damage by controlling the game and even if they lose, at least make sure it’s not an embarrassingly bad result. Instead, they opened up and conceded more and more. In fact, I shudder to think how much would have been the score had Sundowns not been generous! They missed so many other easy opportunities, it could have been a massacre!

TK: Do you think they were outplayed or just did not bother to make a fight of it? HHA:

Al-Ahly is a proud club with a proud history. In their 112-year history, they have never lost with such an embarrassing score. This was much more than a defeat. I accept that in any sport you lose some and win others, but this was worse. The whole country has been plunged into mourning. This is impossible. Unbelievable! It is like a nightmare. They lacked soul and this generation, unlike the past generation of the likes of Mohammed Aboutreika, Hossam Hossan, Wael Gomma and others, simply have no semblance of a fighting spirit. They were pathetic. Personally, I would be boycotting their next match.

TK: Talking about Wael Gomma, he has come out to lambast the coach and feels he might not last until the second leg match… HHA:

It is not only Wael Gomma, but it is the feeling of the entire country that the coach must go. We are experiencing a nightmare. I said earlier that you win some and lose some, but at least when you lose, you must lose with dignity and honour, not like this. This was unacceptable!

TK: Do you think the afternoon 15h00 kickoff could have affected their performance in some way? HHA:

Not at all. If any one of them claim the afternoon kickoff affected them, I would label them liars. That would be a pathetic excuse. This was the worse game I have ever seen them play in the last 30 years that I have followed them. They were simply mediocre and outplayed, period!

TK: What will they do differently this time now that they will be hosting Sundowns in the second leg? HHA:

Make sure they do not concede more goals at home. Frankly, this is game over, curtains. I do not see them scoring but instead I predict that Sundowns will score even more goals in Egypt. I think this high score line has not only rattled them, but might have spread fear into them. There were times when you could see they did not know how to handle their opponents. The movements of (Themba) Zwane, (Lebohang) Maboe and (Gaston) Sirino were simply too much for them and if Sundowns play in the same way again, they will defeat them for the second time.

TK: Lastly, Doc, will the authorities allow Ahly supporters to attend the match as fans are barred from attending matches in Egypt? HHA:

The ban only applies to the domestic league games, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Pan-African club and national team matches are an exception. They will be allowed and hopefully restrict the attendance to a certain number. But personally, I will not attend. I have started a boycott of their matches!