Mohamed El-Basyouni: الاهلي’s clear roles helped secure African Champions League triumph

Mohamed El-Basyouni, known as “Mody”, says the main difference between الاهلي and الزمالك is that everyone at the Cairo club is focused on carrying out their specific responsibilities.

The playmaker made the comments after helping الاهلي defeat الزمالك 26-25 in the African Champions League final in Angola, scoring the decisive goal as his side claimed the trophy for a ninth time.

Speaking to MBC Masr 2, Mody said moving between the two clubs in handball was different from making a similar transfer in football.

“Moving between الزمالك and الاهلي in handball is somewhat different from football,” he said. “I played for الزمالك for three seasons, then spent a season in the UAE before Mohamed Ibrahim, الاهلي’s coach, contacted me about joining the team because Ahmed Khairy had moved to Germany as a professional.”

Mody joined الاهلي last season and said he had quickly settled into his new surroundings.

“Thankfully, I have felt very comfortable since joining الاهلي,” he added. “Everything is provided for the player and we only have to think about playing. That helps us achieve what we are targeting.”

He also compared the working environments at the two clubs, saying الاهلي’s structure allowed individuals to concentrate on their own duties.

“Honestly, at الاهلي, everyone does their job,” Mody said. “At الزمالك, during my three seasons there, two boards were in charge and the coach was changed four times. As a result, you find people working outside their responsibilities.”

“This is my second season with الاهلي. I am a player who goes on to the court to perform my role and leaves without thinking about anything external.”

The final in Angola was decided only after a dramatic finish. The teams were level at 22-22 at the end of normal time, forcing the match into two periods of extra time.

Abdelrahman Hamid was outstanding during the additional periods and played a major part in الاهلي’s victory. Mohamed Hisham El-Basyouni “Mody” then scored الاهلي’s winning goal, with the decisive strike described as coming in the final second of the match and also recorded as arriving five seconds before the end.

The success represented الاهلي’s fourth consecutive African Champions League title. The club had also beaten الزمالك to win the bronze medal at the World Handball Championship only days earlier.

No team had previously won the African Champions League in four successive editions, apart from Algerian club المجمع البترولي, who achieved the feat twice, from 1997 to 2000 and from 2003 to 2006.

الاهلي have therefore continued their dominance of continental handball over the past four seasons. الزمالك remain the competition’s most successful club with 12 titles, although their most recent triumph came in 2019 in Cape Verde.