Amine Chermiti’s Dream Come True!

After an extended on again off again transfer saga, Amine Chermiti’s long awaited move to Hertha Berlin is finally official. The fact that it is a 2 year loan rather than the expected 4 year permanent deal is a minor detail when you consider that things were put in jeopardy multiple times throughout the talks between the two teams. What is most important is that Chermiti will be headed to the Bundesliga now rather than at the winter transfer window.

The only party upset at the moment is the player’s former club, Jeunesse Sportive Kairouanaise, which was poised to receive 20 percent of the transfer sum if Chermiti was sold permanently. While it’s understandable that a team like JSK (which has provided many of the top clubs in Tunis with talent) could use that extra cash right now, I fail to understand their presidents anger as his team stands to make more money if Chermiti impresses and secures a permanent contract at Hertha or elsewhere. Good things come to those who wait…

Back to Chermiti though…

A brief look at the 20 year olds young career indicates that his outstanding personal accolades have been coupled with team success. The odd thing about the speedy forward is that while he is loved by many, he also has his fair share of detractors in Tunisia. The naysayers cite his attitude and general immaturity as his main weaknesses. This was exemplified in an incident against rivals Club Africain. Takes on this vary depending on who you believe but the tape doesn’t lie. Amine ended up biting an opposing defender (Bachtobji) in the chest.

I’m a CA fan and I honestly find it to be nothing more than a silly mistake (and a funny one at that). People have blown this out of proportion and used it as a rallying cry to playa hate (literally). Whether this is justified or not, what can be taken away from this is that Amine could afford to express himself with his feet rather than react angrily to the verbal provocations that are part and parcel to the game we all love. A later incident between him and Lotfi Saidi, the CSS keeper, proved this point further. Whatever the case, I am shocked on a consistent basis when I read some comments on Tunisie Foot and Mosaique FM message boards of people wishing him ill and misfortune (they’re not the majority but there’s more than you would expect). I’m not sure if it’s jealousy or what but I hope that these people realize that Chermiti is now an ambassador for our country and should be offering words of support as he embarks on this new journey.

Lost amid this talk is the qualities of the player himself. What makes him such a fascinating figure anyway? On a purely physical level, it is his sheer speed and acceleration that set him apart from the pack. When he takes off chasing a through ball, he skips a gear and leaves defenders looking like they are running in sand. I’ve seen fast, but “Chermiti fast” is another category altogether. Besides this lightning pace, his focus and cleverness on the pitch is something to behold. This contradicts those who knock him because he spends so much time trash talking with defenders. He’s been quoted as saying that when defenders provoke him it just motivates him that much more. Whatever he needs to fuel the fire is fine by me as long as he stays within the rules.

Last season, he celebrated a goal by pulling a band aid out of his sock and placing it firmly over his mouth as a sign to the fans that he’d be communicating with goals rather than words from now on. So he clearly knows that he might be going overboard sometimes but what do you expect from a player who gets targeted, spat on and slapped because players simply can’t handle him without resorting to these tactics? I don’t foresee that happening in Germany as much as discipline is valued there (I know that sounds stereotypical but I believe it to be fairly accurate).

All you have to do with Chermiti is look at his CV to know the guy is cut from a different cloth than other Tunisian strikers.

- Winner of the 2007/2008 CAF Champions League with Etoile du Sahel.

- Scored on his international debut against Seychelles in a 4-0 win by the Carthage Eagles. Another trademark Chermiti diving header where he comes in unmarked from the sides and reads the trajectory perfectly.

- Top Scorer of 2007 CAF Champions League (8 goals). Two of these were prototypical flying headers in the Semi Finals against Al Hilal of Sudan and there was a third in the final match of the tournament in the heart of Cairo to dethrone Africa’s team of the century, Al Ahly. He’s yet to score a goal as monumental as this one. This goal showed something that is now common knowledge when its comes to Chermiti. He is a big game player. When the lights shine brightest he raises his level that much more. He scores the most difficult goals in the most difficult matches. The goal against Al Ahly will not be forgotten anytime soon. I still remember the Tunisian announcer on ART’s reaction: “5ALESS! 5ALESS! 5ALESS! KAM ANTA KABIR YA IBN AL 5ADHRA! KAM ANTA KABIR YA IBN AL 5ADHRA!!!” Brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.

- Best African Player in Interclub Competitions (2007): This basically designates him as the MVP of the Champions League tournament. At the time everyone was making a fuss about Drogba not traveling to Togo during the African Cup to pick up his African Player of the Year trophy. What they forget is that he wasn’t the only one to forego the festivities, Amine Chermiti opted to stay in Tamale with the team rather lose valuable practice time. At least CAF (which showed how lousy they are at planning these events) didn’t take away his trophy and give it to Frederic Kanoute like they did to Drogba! A hint to CAF, next time schedule to event in the country hosting the African Cup! (sorry off subject…)

- Tunisian Domestic League Champion with Etoile du Sahel in 2006/2007 season: His first season as a pro and he helps wrap up the title for the Sousse side. Pas mal du tout…

- 2006/2007 Tunisian Ballon D’or Winner: He succeeded former teammate Yassine Chikhaoui with this honor.

- Fourth Place in the Club World Cup: One of the proudest moments writing this blog was when Etoile managed to defeat Pachuca. Amine didn’t score in this game and Etoile actually played better when they lost to Boca Juniors 1-0 but it was the third game against Urawa Reds that Chermiti really made people take notice. Our very own Daryl here at WCB put it on the main page and called it “the most determined goal of 2007.” High praise indeed. Etoile was down 2-1 after being punished for two defensive lapses but had been dominating possession and controlling things from then on but were failing to get the equalizer despite producing chance after chance. Chermiti ended up scoring a goal that defies description and exemplifies his heart and never say die attitude. In this tournament we also saw a new dimension of Chermiti, the one of him as a passer and playmaker. His tears at the end when Etoile lost on penalties were felt by the millions of Tunisians that followed Etoile’s honorable showing at this highly publicized international event.

- Decisive goal in the all Tunisian African Super Cup versus Club Sportif Sfaxien: Usually when you say “killer goal” you mean it was really nice. The sad thing about this goal is that it actually killed someone. You can’t hold Amine responsible of course but the story is worthy of mention just because its so bizarre and sad. A man in the crowd died of a heart attack with his son by his side. His son met Chermiti on a Tunisian TV show later. The crazy thing is that the man who passed away had always wanted his son to meet Amine. Strange how things work out sometimes. RIP Moncef Ben Amor.

- A goal in his final game wearing an Etoile jersey versus fierce rivals Esperance de Tunis: Remember what I said about him being a big game player? Etoile was still recovering from their controversial loss in the the Tunisian Cup and needed a result in the first fixture in the qualifying stages of the CAF Confederation Cup. Amine scored (another flying header, you see the theme now?) in what was to be his final game donning the Red of Etoile. He got a yellow that prevented him from playing in the return leg but Etoile still went through. Another thing about Chermiti is he is no stranger to silly yellow cards. No one is perfect…

What has also impressed me about Chermiti is that his game continues to evolve. I guess that’s to be expected since he’s young (and we hope it continues) but its rare that you see these improvements so quickly. For example, he’s added the lefty free kick (oh yea he’s a lefty btw) to his arsenal. I honestly didn’t know he had it in him but he’s done it more than once and could make it a staple of his goal scoring diet. Plus his dribbling continues to improve as well. Finally, when he’s on the field, its impossible to ignore him because he constantly hassles defenders and makes his presence felt despite his small stature (he’s 5′9).

Since he’s a classic number 9, it’s no coincidence that he has donned than number at Etoile since he started his career. However, since it’s not available at Hertha (Pantelic will be wearing it), he has opted for the 27. 27? Not exactly a famous football jersey number is it? Well allow Amine to explain his choice himself: “When you add the two numbers together, you get number nine which is the number I was originally meant to wear in Germany and one that means a lot to me since its the number that goalscorers wear.” So you can add math to his list of strengths. Really though, that isn’t just a joke since he’s reported to be very good at math and other subjects (his mom was a teacher). In a country where getting your baccalaureate degree is very difficult (the school system is designed to weed unmotivated students out, not help them succeed) Amine passed with flying colors. It’s a rarity for a footballer there, or elsewhere for that matter, to be booksmart.

Chermiti will undoubtedly face a lot of pressure in Germany and will have adapt to a new country and language but I see this move as nothing but positive. While Etoile obviously could have used him this season, he didn’t have much left to prove in Tunisia and risked being lost like so many other talents before him who missed their chance early and never got a second one. The time was now and given Chermiti’s history of rising to the challenge, it would be foolish to bet against him.

I’ll update this post with pictures of the unveiling. He travels to Berlin tomorrow. Bon voyage Amine and best of luck in the Bundesliga!

Some Pictures and Highlights

I opted for one that some of you may not have seen before. I’m familiar with so many of these but for some reason this one passed under the radar. It’s not the best but I like how it has some of his early goals in his career when he still had his hair short and looked even younger than he does now.

Charafna ya ibn el 5adhra!

Update

Mini video of presentation: Nothing that exciting but it’s visual proof he’s there!

Some Pics: