By Sports Reporter/Doha
Although Mohamed Ali Zein only celebrated his 24th birthday in late December, he already has 104 international caps to his tally and has lived the experience of a Handball World Championship, in Sweden in 2013.
The left-back will be a key member of the new-look Egyptian team for whom the Doha event is their
13th World Championship appearance and an African record 12th successive time.
Ali Zein was introduced to the secrets of handball at the age of seven at Al-Ahly club in Egypt. It didn’t take him long to make his breakthrough. His talent was soon discovered and in 2006 he was picked up by the national selectors to join the age group national teams.
With him being a regular starter and one of the most formidable players, the Egyptian junior team finished fourth twice at the World Junior Championships, on home soil in 2009 and in 2011 at Thesssaloniki, Greece.
“In the meantime, I was honoured to receive an invitation to play for the men’s team at the 2011 World Championship but an injury forced me to stay on the sidelines, therefore I made my debut two years later in 2013 in Spain,” says Ali Zein, who currently plays for Al-Jazira club in Abu Dhabi, following a two-year spell with Étoile du Sahel in Tunisia.
“Unfortunately Egypt didn’t finish higher than 16th,” he adds.
Ali Zein is eagerly looking forward to taking part in his second senior global competition, but he will always have on his mind the frenetic days of 1999, when Egypt hosted the 16th edition of Handball Worlds.
“I was only nine at the time and was watching the games on TV, but I remember that the whole nation was feeling the World Championship
vibration. The atmosphere was fantastic. Everybody was talking about the competition and our team was
really strong, manned with extremely talented players who made us all
very proud.
“Unfortunately we were unlucky to face the mighty Russian team in the quarter-finals, but the same squad went on to reach the semi-finals in 2001, the first non-European team to advance that far. We, the new generation, learnt a lot from them, and we are inspired from their exploits. Our ambition is to match their heroics one day,” Ali Zein says.
The Egyptian though is realistic about Egypt’s chances at Qatar 2015, although he hasn’t lost his faith in his team’s capacity.
“The old guard has retired or is not being selected anymore, thus the Egyptian national team mostly consists of youngsters who definitely need time to develop their skills,” he explains.
“Furthermore, we have been drawn in an extremely tough group along with France, Sweden, Czech Republic and arch-rivals Algeria. To add to our misfortune, Iceland was selected to replace the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the latter withdrew their participation from the Championship, an addition which makes our mission even tougher. Nevertheless, we believe that we have the roster and the quality to survive the challenge.
Handball used to be the second-most popular sport in Egypt, behind football. Does it draw people’s attention nowadays?
“After the Revolution erupted, sport activities in my country suffered a major setback. Now that life has gone back to normal and people have started returning to their previous ordinary life and habits, I believe the Egyptians will stand by our handball national team again and will offer us their strong support during the World Championship in Qatar.”
Due to a short-term contract with Al-Kuwait Club, Ali Zein participated at the 2014 Asian Club League in Doha, a competition which worked as a test event for the brand new Ali bin Hamad Al-Attiyah arena, but that was not his first visit in Doha. Last year he played with Étoile du Sahel at the IHF Super Globe.
“I am no stranger to Qatar. I’ve been here before and I have seen the city developing into a worldwide sporting hub. Judging from the fantastic venues and the accommodation facilities, I truly expect a brilliant World Championship,” Ali Zein signed off.
Qatar 2015 welcomes Ooredoo as a ‘Prestige Partner’
By Sports Reporter/Doha
The Qatar 2015 Organising Committee has announced Ooredoo as a ‘Prestige Partner’ of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship.
The contract of mutual agreement was signed by Dr. Thani Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, Director General, Qatar 2015, and Waleed al-Sayed, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar.
“We have worked hard to achieve our aims for the Championship’s success by facilitating local organisations’ participation in global sports events under the leadership of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of Qatar 2015 Organising Committee.
“We are proud to be working with Ooredoo as a Prestige Partner for the Championship as the range of advanced solutions they provide will enable us to offer the best services to the participants and spectators, giving them the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable experience,” said al-Kuwari in a release.
Ooredoo CEO al-Sayed said, “Ooredoo has a longstanding tradition of supporting sporting activities nationally and internationally. We are proud to partner with the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship. Qatar is the ideal host for this global event and Ooredoo will provide a full range of communication services to help the championship be a success.”
As a Prestige Partner of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship, Ooredoo will offer its support via advertising in Ooredoo retail shops, Shop-in-Shop outlets and third-party partners in Qatar.
Promotional efforts will include the roll-out of branded Hala cards, also it will promote the Championship on the Ooredoo customer care hotline, digital media platform and via Mozaic TV.
Ooredoo will be also be supporting ticket sales for the Championship, making tickets available through its nationwide network of Self Service Machines. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to EAA’s ‘Educate a Child’ programme to increase the number of children worldwide who can claim their right to education.
The Handball World Championship begins today and will run till February 1. Matches will take place across three venues—Lusail Multipurpose Hall, Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena and Duhail Handball Sports Hall.