Khaled El-Gawadi, the translator for Swiss coach Marcel Koller, the head coach of Al-Ahly Club, sent a message to the coach after the circumstances surrounding the Red Devils’ trip to Ghana for a match against Medeama, as part of the group stage of the CAF Champions League.
El-Gawadi wrote on his personal Facebook account: “Thank God for the historic achievement, the first time Al-Ahly wins in Ghana, and thank God for the early qualification before the ‘annual stomach ache.'”
He added: “Thank God, our Lord has honored us greatly. We prayed to God to make us rejoice, honor us, and not waste our efforts in vain… It was a difficult and unusually exhausting journey. I would like to document some of its events.”
El-Gawadi continued: “The difficulties began with a three-hour delay in takeoff due to a malfunction in the plane… After reaching the departure gate, the plane returned to fix the malfunction… We spent three hours hearing every half-hour that we would take off.”
He further detailed: “After six hours and a quarter, we landed at Accra Airport, and as soon as the plane stopped suddenly, the power cut off completely… We sat watching the sky full of bats like swifts… and they spent another two hours fixing the plane from a new malfunction.”
El-Gawadi pointed out: “Once the malfunction was fixed, we started moving, and everyone began to worry about the strange plane that the crew assured us was a new plane. The plane started banging violently against the service vehicle (what a day this was).”
He added: “The pilot told us he couldn’t fly like this, and Kumasi Airport closes at 9 (we’re stuck here)… We took our bags and got off and waited for a hotel to accommodate the entire delegation… Here, I must sincerely thank and appreciate the efforts of the Egyptian Ambassador in Ghana… Really, no country we visited, the ambassador stood by us like this and exerted such effort personally, overcoming all obstacles… (Yes, the ambassador indeed).”
El-Gawadi continued: “We boarded a public transport bus and arrived at the hotel after a 15-hour journey, not knowing its end or when it would end… By the way, Accra is a very modern and clean city and not the mental image one has of Black Africa…
After tremendous efforts from Ambassador and Mohamed Magdi, the head of the delegation, we managed to return to Kumasi the next day, on the same plane, and frankly, everyone was afraid of it…
Kumasi is an African city as the mental image of Black Africa… One was truly thanking God every minute, the temperature like the heart of summer and humidity like the heart of the ocean, bats and mosquitoes and malaria chasing us, tough atmosphere…
Every exercise was full of exhaustion and fatigue and heat and humidity, but everyone’s determination to return with the three points, everyone rejects any excuses or justifications; the circumstances increase everyone’s determination.”
He concluded his speech: “It was a game with the spirit of manhood, determination, and determination, especially in the second half… A great lecture between halves, the second half has very high work…
After the game, we run to catch a flight that closes at 9… The workers made extraordinary efforts… We boarded the plane at 8:30… The plane moved at 9:02… A five-minute delay and we would have been stuck in Kumasi for another night.”
He continued: “On the return journey, everyone was exhausted… Everyone from players, workers, administrators, and medical staff was sleeping exhausted…
Except one person, Koller… I found him during the return journey, opening the laptop, watching the match again, stopping shots, taking notes; I filmed him while he was not paying attention, to give me another lesson that every hard worker indeed has a share…
They say sometimes luck is on your side, but certainly, God honors you because of your diligence, effort, sincerity, passion, and love for your work… Thank God for the victory and qualification… Thank God we returned safely.”
