(Hello) Masterstroke!

On My Responsibility
SME – Written by Ali Al-Basha
Alialbasha540@gmail.com
We said a week ago in this column that the era of honorary presidents of clubs and federations was waning before the new millennium. At that time, the club was teeming with honorary and honorary presidents supporting the clubs, which was considered a decline in the interest of the wealthy in supporting sports clubs.
However, Isa Town Club, headed by Ahmed Al-Akbari, surprised us by showing that the world is still good. Its surprise was represented by businesswoman Hala bint Farouq Al-Moayyad accepting the honorary presidency, succeeding her late father, Farouq Al-Moayyad. This represents a masterstroke and a precedent, as our clubs are not accustomed to having a woman as their honorary president.
But this is not surprising, as the matter comes from its source. Because Mrs. Hala was close to her father throughout his support of the club, she was aware of everything the Almoayyed family was offering to Isa Town, including the investment project sponsored by Aisha Almoayyed, which will generate significant income for the club. I believe that Mrs. Hala’s acceptance of the honorary presidency of Isa Town Club killed several birds with one stone. On the one hand, it kept the honorary presidency of the club within her esteemed family, continued investment projects that support its sports teams, and encouraged businesswomen to take their place in sports clubs. It is not surprising that Isa Town Club, which oversees two team sports: football and basketball, has witnessed a surge in competition, especially with its third-place finish in the Second Division League and qualification for the promotion playoffs. It previously played in the Premier League during the era of Zamalek’s Al-Desouki. Perhaps the presence of the new honorary president, Mrs. Hala, will instill in the souls of football and basketball players a culture of winning and a desire to compete for championships. She certainly has big goals that she hopes will be achieved in the new era that she will draw up with the management of brother Ahmed Al-Akbari, who was recommended for sporting excellence.