CAIRO (Egypt) - A year ago, Coach Tarek Abouzied was denied the chance to become a trailblazer in African basketball.
Now, however, he could rewrite history.
How special would it be if his Al Ahly SC beat Ferroviario de Maputo on Sunday, 14 December?
It would be very special, and here’s why.
Last year, Abouzied’s Al Ahly SC lost to Ferroviario de Maputo in the WBLA Final in Dakar, Senegal. If Al Ahly SC win the 2025 WBLA title, it will be the club’s first African title.
Back in 2016, Abouzied led the Al Ahly SC men’s team to victory in the FIBA Africa Champions Cup at the Prince Abdallah Al Faisal Sports Hall in Egypt, where he is chasing history.
At the time, nine years ago, Al Ahly SC defeated the now-defunct Angolan side Recreativo do Libolo 68–66 in the process.
That was the first time that an Egyptian club had won a continental title in two decades, since Gezira won the 1996 Africa Champions Cup in Alexandria.
If Al Ahly SC win on Sunday, Coach Tarek Abouzied will be the first person in the history of African basketball to win the top-tier men’s and women’s competitions in Africa over the last three decades as records show.
However, Tarek Abouzied will be facing another trailblazer in the form of Nasir Sale, who has yet to win a Women’s AfroBasket title but boasts an unparalleled record in the top tier of women’s basketball clubs in Africa.
In addition to winning the 2024 WBLA title, Sale has also led two other Mozambican clubs, Desportivo de Maputo (in 2007) and Liga Desportiva (in 2012), to the top spot among African clubs.
FIBA