Arab teams face FIBA challenge; Zamalek surges under Hassan

By Khalil Hareb in Amman
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-12-19

[ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images] New Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan (shown above in the African Nations Cup in 2006) has been leading the Egyptian football team back to respectability.

Jordanian, Lebanese and Tunisian basketball stars will face tough competition when they play against some of the world's top teams in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Representatives of 24 international teams met in Istanbul on Tuesday (December 15th) for the tournament draw for the event, which will be held next August in Turkish cities including Ankara, Kayseri and Izmir.

Argentina, Serbia, Australia, Germany, Angola and Jordan are in Group A. Group B includes the US, Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia, Iran and Tunisia. Greece, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Russia, China and the Ivory Coast comprise Group C, while Spain, France, Canada, Lithuania, New Zealand and Lebanon make up Group D.

Japan hosted the 2006 FIBA championship in which the only two Arab countries, Qatar and Lebanon, participated. They were knocked out in the first round. Arab fans are hoping to see their teams advance to the all-important final 16 in 2010.

In other sports, Kuwaiti handball was full of surprises.

Al-Qadsia looked set to beat Fahaheel, but Fahaheel staged a furious rally to seize victory. After the first half of Tuesday's clash, Qadsia had a five-goal lead. Despite Fahaheel's strong start in the second half, Qadsia kept the heat on through the final 10 minutes. But Fahaheel battled back and tied the game. Then in the closing seconds, Saad Salem scored to win it 24-23 for Fahaheel.

The victory, Fahaheel's eighth in a row, gives them 16 points and allowed them to take first place from Al-Arabi. The latter tied with Kuwait 25-25, falling to 2nd place with 15 points.

In the world of football, Zamalek fans have been enjoying the team's renewed success thanks to the new leadership of Hossam Hassan.

The former Zamalek striker, who took over coaching duties from the floundering Frenchman Henri Michel, led the team to its second victory in a row. On December 12th, Zamalek took on al-Masry in Cairo and secured a 3-0 win. Zamalek pulled off their second triumph with a 2-0 victory over Asyut Petroleum on December 16th.

Zamalek is now in 9th place with 18 points, trailing first-place rival al-Ahly by 14 points. Al-Ahly, meanwhile, defeated El Gouna with a modest 1-0 win, giving them a healthy four-point lead over second-place Petrojet.

In other football news, Kuwait and the UAE met on Wednesday in a farewell match for 33-year-old Kuwait and Salmya defender Ali Redha. The contest gave Kuwait a chance to prepare for a crucial upcoming match with Australia on January 6th as part of the 2011 Asia Cup Finals qualifying round. The friendly ended goalless, but loyal fans gave Redha a warm send-off.

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