How was Mahmoud Al-Khatib’s confrontation with Tariq Diab?

“I hope the team whose president is my friend and I played against him will win.” These words were from Tunisian soccer legend and Esperance star Tariq Diab, commenting on the Horn of Africa final between Al-Ahly and Zamalek.

Dhiab, the Tunisian football legend, spoke on the “beIN Sports” screen about the Champions League final and said: “I hope the team whose president is my friend and I played against him will win.” (Here’s the clue on Mahmoud Al-Khatib, the current president of the Al-Ahly Club) …See the rest of the statements of Tariq Diab)

Going back, specifically in the seventies and eighties of the last century, the confrontation between the Egyptian and Tunisian teams was described as fierce in light of the fact that each team had a constellation of stars, headed by Mahmoud al-Khatib, the legend of Al-Ahly and Tariq Dhiab, who represented the “Eagles of Carthage”.

Al-Khatib, nicknamed “Bebo”, against Diab was only international, as each side was not facing the other at club level, so the question here was how were the matches of the Egyptian legend against the Tunisian star ?

The dream turns into a nightmare:

In the World Cup qualifiers (1978), which were held in Argentina, the Egyptian team faced their Tunisian counterpart, but the “Aguilas de Cartago” managed to win in the end.

The first leg, which was played in Egypt in 1977, was decided by the owners of the field by winning the score (3-2), but Tunisia managed to respond and win a resounding result with four goals to one, so the teammates of Khatib lost the opportunity to reach the World Cup in Argentina.

This year saw a fight between Egypt and Tunisia, but in the tie for the African Cup of Nations, where the “Eagles of Carthage” imposed a draw on the homeowners and the match ended with a score of (2-2 ) before the Egyptian team lost in Tunisia (3-2).

In the second leg, played at the “El Menza” stadium, Mahmoud Al-Khatib and Hassan Shehata scored both of Egypt’s goals, instead, Tunisia’s goals were through Tariq Diab, Muhammad Ali Aqeed and Tamim

Response after 6 years:

The response from Al-Khatib and the Egyptian team came after six years, specifically at the African Nations Qualifiers, which was held in Côte d’Ivoire in the 1984 edition.

In the first leg, the Egyptian team beat their Tunisian counterpart with a goal that came through Alaa Nabil in a match that witnessed the emergence of a bilateral confrontation between Al-Khatib and Diab, while the second leg, which was played at the “Rades” Stadium, ended in a negative draw.

Historical record:

Tariq Diab wore the shirt of the Tunisian Esperance, which is considered “the sheikh of Tunisian clubs”, as he became the icon of “Bab Souika” after winning the Tunisian League six times and the Tunisian Cup two, and it also reached the final of the African Club Cup in a period that witnessed the emergence of Esperance abroad on the continent.

Diab was not satisfied with the collective titles with Esperance, as he was able to achieve many local titles, as the Tunisian football emperor was crowned with the African Ballon d’Or in 1977, before being voted the player of the century in Tunisia.

As for Al-Khatib, the icon of Al-Ahly, he was making the glories of the Red Castle locally and continuously, in fact, over a 16-year career, Al-Khatib stayed true to the red jersey before deciding to retire in 1988.

Al-Khatib, with Al-Ahly, won the league title ten times against five at the Egyptian Cup level, and also won the African Club Championship, the former champions of the African Champions League, plus two Club African Cups.

Al-Ahly’s icon on an individual level, he won the continent’s best player award in 1983, and was also voted the best player of the 20th century for his achievements with Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team.