CAIRO: Rwanda coach Branko Tucak said that Nigerian referee Emmanuel Imiere is largely responsible for his team s 3-0 win to Egypt on Sunday. Tucak s men did well to keep off their hosts until the 66th minute, where Mohamed Abou-Trika broke their defenses before Hosni Abd-Rabou doubled the lead with a penalty-kick 10 minutes …

ZURICH, Switzerland: European champion Spain has ended the year as the world s No.1-ranked nation in the latest FIFA list published Wednesday. Spain won all 16 of its matches in 2008 – including the penalty shootout victory over Italy in a European Championship quarterfinal – after starting the year ranked No.4. It has been top …

CAIRO: Ahly s football committee is considering raising players incentives ahead of the Egyptian champions clash against Enyimba in the CAF Champions League. The committee originally set a winning bonus of LE 150,000 for each participating player, and the club plans to add another LE 50,000 to further motivate its players. Moreover, the incentives of …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri said his side will try to take advantage of Enyimba s feeble backline in their CAF Champions League game scheduled for Oct. 18. Enyimba s rearguard is a serious weakness, and we are planning to exploit it, Al-Badri told FilGoal.com. We ve watched their previous matches, especially the away …

CAIRO: Banha left-back AbdEl-Baki Mohamed claimed that Ahly and Zamalek are both interested in acquiring his services in January. The Egypt U-20 international was recently handed a trial with Ahly s youth team, as he revealed that Reds officials were impressed by his displays. In the same manner, the up-and-coming full-back declared that he is …

ALEXANDRIA: Ittihad Alexandria signed Mohamed “Geddo Nagui on a one-year extension to his contract that will keep him at the club until 2012. Geddo is targeted by several Egyptian top-flight sides and the coastal club wanted him to settle down, according to Ittihad Chairman Mohamed Mosselhi. Mosselhi told FilGoal.com that Geddo will earn LE 500,000 …

CAIRO: Enyimba striker Stephen Worgu is confident ahead of Sunday s anticipated clash against Ahly in the CAF Champions League semi-final in Cairo. After a goalless draw in the first leg in Nigeria, the Egyptian champions became favorites to qualify for the competition s final for the fourth consecutive year. Worgu, however, is not intimidated …

CAIRO: Egypt Striker Amr Zaki said it would be illogical if the Pharaohs couldn’t qualify to the 2010 World Cup after claiming the African Cup of Nations twice on the trot. The six-time African Champions haven t made it to the elite competition since 1990. Nonetheless, many believe they are going to qualify for the …

CAIRO: Former Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour vowed on Wednesday to return to his post, just a few hours after being released from prison. The controversial lawyer spent nine months in jail for verbally abusing Egyptian Chief Justice Sayed Nofal. Life-long Zamalek fan Mamdouh Abbas replaced him and spent heavily to strengthen the team s squad. …

CAIRO: Zamalek have reduced the prices of tickets for next Saturday s league game with Telecom Egypt in an attempt to mend the rift with their angry fans. Fans held a huge black banner reading “You lacked manhood so you ll miss our support during the 3-0 victory over Tersana. Sections of the crowds repeatedly …

CAIRO: Ahmed Abou-Mosallam denied making improper comments against Egypt technical staff after he was overlooked for the Pharaohs African Cup of Nations squad. I did not attack the technical staff. I respect them so much, the Strasbourg left-back told FilGoal.com on Wednesday. The journalists should beware when interpreting comments from any player. I spoke to …

CAIRO: Hassan Shehata could be involved in a dispute with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) after the coach voiced his objection to bonuses set for players following the Pan Arab Games triumph. The Pharaohs found no difficulty in finishing on top of the five-team tournament to claim the gold medal. The EFA is due to …

ALEXANDRIA: Ittihad of Alexandria have promised to give the players extra-bonuses if they beat Al Ahly in Wednesday s league game. The team plays well but they need a little bit of luck. I hope we will get some against Al Ahly, the club s vice president Mohamed Mosselhi told FilGoal.com on Wednesday. Ittihad are …

CAIRO: Egypt defender Wael Gomaa was very happy to go off to a winning start with his new team Al-Siliya, whom he joined on loan from Al Ahly last week. Gomaa made his debut for the Qatari side on Sunday, helping the team to a morale-boosting 2-0 league victory over close rivals Al-Arabi. The victory …

CAIRO: Egypt have everything set to advance from the first qualifying round of the 2010 World Cup, according to a report published by Fifa.com on Monday. The draw on Sunday saw the African champions come along with Congo DR, Malawi and Djibouti in a preliminary round Group 12. Despite a minor threat from the ambitious …

CAIRO: Egypt won the gold medal in the Pan Arab Games football tournament after securing an easy 2-1 victory over 10-man Saudi Arabia at Cairo Stadium on Sunday. Saudi Arabia, who played the majority of the game with 10 men after Red Tukar was handed a straight red card, pulled one back through Yasser Al-Qahtani …

CAIRO: Asian giants Hilal are interested in signing Amr Zaki on a loan deal until the end of the season, Saudi papers said on Sunday. Zaki is sought to be the replacement for Sierra Leone striker Mohamed Kallon, who was supposed to sign for Hilal but made a dramatic late U-turn, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported. Kallon …

CAIRO: Ahli defender Islam Al-Shater suffered a groin injury during the Red Devils morning training session on Saturday, the Cairo club announced. Ahli website stated that the 31-year-old full-back will have a scan after the injury, according to Dr Ehab Ali. Islam is likely suffering a first degree tear to his groin. We are not …

CAIRO: Ahli marketing director Adli Al-Qaeyi revealed Thursday that they are interested in signing Baladeya striker Hani Al-Egeizi. We have contacted Baladeya president Mahmoud Al-Shami regarding a possible move for Al-Egeizi, Al-Qaeyi told Egyptian TV. The 22-year-old striker, who came through Zamalek youth ranks, scored six goals so far for the newly-promoted Baladeya, who occupy …

ISMAILIA: Ismaili representative Ahmed Swelam said on Thursday he was informed Fifa would rule in the Dervishes favor in Hosni Abd Rabou transfer saga. Fifa informed the German company, which I represent in Egypt, and which is responsible for defending Ismaili s interests, that the final decision will be announced within a month. They hinted …

CAIRO: Ahmed “Mido Hossam is a major doubt for Middlesbrough s game against Aston Villa on Saturday, manager Gareth Southgate said Wednesday. The Egypt striker is suffering from a groin strain and was given a one-week rest that he spent in Egypt. And despite making progress, Southgate fears Mido, alongside Julio Arca and Fabio Rochemback, …

CAIRO: Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Libya in the Pan Arab Games on Wednesday and missed a chance to snatch gold with one match to go. The Pharaohs now split summit with Libya on seven points each. Egypt will play a strong Saudi Arabia in the last game in Cairo on Sunday. …

ISMAILIA: Ismaili board made a U-turn in their decision to off-load some of their star players after facing waves of fans’ anger. “We won’t sell any players after seeing this huge protest, Ismaili’s director Abdul-Rahman Anous told FilGoal.com. Ismaili chairman Yehia Al-Koumi had previously announced that he is ready to sell Mohamed Fadl, Hani Saied …

CAIRO: Egypt have set a new record in the Pan Arab Games after reaching 110 gold medals in the ninth day. The host nation broke their own record of 105 gold medals, set in the 1999 Pan Arab Games in Jordan. Egypt s men stroke gold in the Squash competition, so did the women team, …

CAIRO: Al Ahly have announced that midfielder Hassan Mostafa has signed a three-year contract with the club before joining Saudi Arabia s Al-Wehda on loan. The Egyptian champions were reluctant to loan out Mostafa, whose contract runs out in the summer, in order not to lose him for nothing at the end of the season. …

CAIRO: Ittihad of Alexandria won’t allow any moves out of the club when the transfer window re-opens in January because of its critical situation in the League. “No one will leave. We are in the 15th place and we need all the efforts to move away from the danger zone, the club’s vice president Mohamed …

CAIRO: Egyptian defender Amir Azmi has been cleared to leave Al-Shabab on the condition that his new club would negotiate with the Saudi giants to get his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). “The clubs don’t owe the players. Some of them think that they possess all their rights and that isn’t true and there should be …

CAIRO: Egypt have suffered their third successive defeat in the 11th FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup in Japan after losing to Brazil 3-0. Brazil won the match 25-18, 25-14, 25-17. Egypt had already lost to Puerto Rico (3-0) and Bulgaria (3-1). Egypt are at the bottom in the 12-team tournament.

CAIRO: Egypt coach Hassan Shehata agreed to let Wael Gomaa skip the remaining matches of the Pan Arab Games so he could join Qatari side Al-Siliya.Gomaa is on loan to Al Siliya from Al Ahly. I will return to Port Saied to be officially given the permission before moving back to Qatar, Gomaa told FilGoal.com …

CAIRO: Egypt are flying high on top of the 11th Pan Arab Games table after reaching 105 gold medals in the eighth day of the competition. The host nation was much inspired by the performances of women athletes, who collected a host of gold medals on Day 8. Egypt women dominated Rhythmic Gymnastics as Abeer …