We were wrong again, but who’s complaining? We said Sfaxien would beat Al-Ahli for the African Champions League; the opposite happened, but who cares? Our credibility was seriously thrown into doubt, but so what? We lost, but our team won and that’s what counts.
However, lest our prediction be totally trashed, the truth is that Sfaxien could have won; some analysts even say they should have.
But Al-Ahli was ultimately rewarded via Mohamed Abu Treika’s stunning strike. The winning goal was fittingly scored by Abu Treika who had been relatively quiet throughout.Abu Treika’s heroics all year could earn him the African player of the year award, but he faces stiff competition from Chelsea’s Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast who was recently called by his coach, Jose Mourinho, the world’s best player at present.That’s the bad thing about winning in a foreign land. You’re left to celebrate by yourself. But nobody heard Al-Ahli complaining. Overnight, they became $2 million richer – $1 million from the Champions League and the other for qualifying for the World Club Cup in Japan, where the Cairo club is determined to make up for their disappointing showing of last year.
We might predict what will happen in Japan, but we have learned: Predict not who will win a championship for almost always you’ll be sorry you did.
Sfaxien, too, should learn from a no-no of their own: Don’t put on your tuxedo before you’re sure there’s a party.
