CAIRO: Egypt coach Hassan Shehata believes the opener of the World Cup qualifiers final phase will be difficult regardless of Zambia s caliber. Beginnings are always difficult, Shehata told the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) official website on Thursday. Our match against Zambia will largely determine how we would fare in the qualifiers. A win will …

CAIRO: Amr Zaki said he was unsure whether he would stay at Wigan Athletic beyond the end of the season as he believes Zamalek s “unrealistic valuation – reportedly ?12 million – of him could hamper any talks. Zamalek slapped a hefty price tag on me, the Egypt striker, who prepares to play with the …

CAIRO: Zamalek denied on Sunday that they gave forward Gamal Hamza the green light to join Swedish side Vasalunds IF. Hamza, whose contract with Zamalek expires in the summer, revealed on Saturday that he penned a four-month contract with the second-division club. We did not agree to sell Hamza because simply we know nothing about …

CAIRO: The Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek has been postponed to April 23, the Egyptian Football Association announced on Saturday. The match was delayed due to Ahly s African commitments, Nayef Ezzat, head of the EFA competitions committee, told FilGoal.com. Ahly visit Tanzania s Young Africans on April fifth in the second-leg of the …

Ghazl Mahalla have sacked coach Khaled Eid and appointed Sherif Al-Khashab as his successor after a string of poor results, the club announced on Saturday. We had no choice but to relieve Eid of his duties, especially after the 2-0 defeat to Arab Contractors, Mahalla sporting director Mohamed Helal told FilGoal.com. Al-Khashab will be assisted …

Zamalek forward Gamal Hamza has on Saturday completed his move to Swedish side Vasalunds IF on a short-term deal. Hamza penned a four-month contract at the second-division club after taking part in a friendly game. Vasalunds coach was pleased with my display during the friendly, the 27-year-old told FilGoal.com. Hamza, who came through Zamalek s …

CAIRO: Zamalek coach Michel Decastel has dropped Junior Agogo for Friday s Egyptian Premier League game against Olympic in Alexandria. The Ghanaian striker, whose dispute with Zamalek s board has been apparently resolved, last featured in the team s squad in the goalless draw with Tersana last month. He missed the Cairo giants league matches …

CAIRO: Ahmed Hassan said on Sunday he was not concerned at being frequently substituted by Ahly coach Manuel Jose as long as fans applaud him. I perform well and the fans applaud me and chant my name, so I have no problems, he told Ahly TV following the team s 3-0 Champions League victory over …

CAIRO: Petrojet coach Mokhtar Mokhtar was fuming after learning that his side s league match against Asyut Petroleum wasn’t aired on TV, according to the club s administrative manager. Mokhtar didn t understand why the match wasn t televised, Mostafa Hendawi told FilGoal.com on Saturday. Petrojet are among the league s top four so they …

CAIRO: Zamalek assistant coach Sami Al-Sheshini is relieved that his strikers began to rediscover their scoring touch. Sherif Ashraf scored twice and his strike partner Abdel-Halim Ali was also on the score sheet as Zamalek defeated Gaish 4-2 in the Egyptian Premier League on Saturday. Finally, Zamalek frontmen managed to find the net, Al-Sheshini told …

CAIRO: Essam Al-Hadari s Sion suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Basel in the Swiss Super League on Saturday to drop into the relegation zone. Egypt keeper Al-Hadari conceded the first goal four minutes before the break as Jurgen Gjasula put the visitors ahead. Scott Chipperfield doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime and …

Egyptian midfielder Hosni Abd-Rabou said on Thursday that he sometimes loses his temper because referees provoke him. Abd-Rabou, who plays for Dubai-based club Ahli on loan from Ismaili, is often criticized for his impulsive demeanor on the pitch. The talented schemer usually picks up unnecessary yellow cards that tarnish his reputation. But he believes that …

CAIRO: African champions Egypt have dropped one place to 32nd in the latest edition of the FIFA world rankings. The Pharaohs slipped out of the top-20 list last month and have now further gone down. Egypt, who will face Zambia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers later this month, did not play any game during …

CAIRO: Ismaili president Nasr Aboul-Hassan hit out at reports claiming that the club has accepted a Zamalek offer for defender Sherif Abdel-Fadil. Some newspapers said that we will sell Abdel-Fadil to Zamalek but that is absolute rubbish, Aboul-Hassan told FilGoal.com on Wednesday. The club is yet to set out plans for transfers. The window is …

CAIRO: Arab Contractors have fined Reda Al-Weeshi LE 20,000 after he protested against coach Mohamed Radwan s decision to substitute him during a league match. The striker made no secret of his frustration after being replaced in Contractors 1-0 victory over Asyut Petroleum on Friday. Al-Weeshi s reaction did not go down well with the …

ISMAILIYA: Ismaili are yet to decide on where to resume their home league matches as Ismailia Stadium will be closed for renovations ahead of the U-20 World Cup. The Dervishes will not be able to play at their stadium beyond this month, just like Alexandria-based club Ittihad, Port Said side Masri and Cairo duo Ahly …

CAIRO: Ittihad president Mohamed Moselhi called on the team s fans to support head coach Taha Basri despite the embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Gaish. The visiting fans hurled insults against Basri and Ittihad players following their dismal display in Saturday s League game. I know that the fans are very angry but defeats are natural …

CAIRO: Hossam Hassan said on Thursday that he would succeed Helmi Toulan as Telecom Egypt s coach. I ve been appointed as Telecom s new coach. Ibrahim [his twin brother] will occupy the football director position, Hassan told FilGoal.com. The former Masri coach was heavily linked with Zamalek over the past few weeks. The crisis-hit …

ISMAILIYA: Ismaili striker Mostafa Karim intends to leave the club at the end of the season, according to an Iraqi paper. Al-Riyadhiy Al-Jadeed claimed that Iraqi international Karim is seeking a new challenge away from the Egyptian Premier League. He snubbed an offer from Zamalek to join Qatari side Gharafa in the summer, it added. …

CAIRO: Harras Hodoud considers punishing forward Ahmed Eid for being sent-off in his side s 1-0 defeat to Ittihad in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday. The Egyptian international received two yellow cards for dissent late in the game. Military club Hodoud, who are renowned for adopting a tough disciplinary system, are likely to punish …

CAIRO: The Egyptian Supreme Court has allowed crisis-hit Zamalek to hold their board elections earlier than originally scheduled. The elections were due to take place in July but Zamalek sought permission to settle their administrative issues before the summer. The Cairo giants were granted their wish and can now start the election process immediately. The …

CAIRO: Gamal Al-Ghandour has been sacked as the technical adviser for the UAE Football Association refereeing committee. Local newspaper Al-Bayan said the committee showed the former Egyptian referee the door because he was no longer focusing on his job. The paper said Al-Ghandour was busy working as a refereeing analyst for TV networks rather than …

CAIRO: Zamalek coach Michel Decastel will be sacked if Zamalek fails to end their six-match winless streak when they face ENPPI on Tuesday. The Swiss boss, who took over in January, is yet to enjoy his first win at the helm. The Cairo giants lost two matches and drew three under Decastel s guidance. Zamalek’s …

CAIRO: Mohamed Abou-Trika expressed his gratitude to Ahly coach Manuel Jose after receiving BBC s African Footballer of the Year award. The classy playmaker clinched the accolade after comfortably beating off competition from compatriot Amr Zaki, Emmanuel Adebayor, Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto o. He took more than half of the total ballot to claim …

Youth academy supervisor Mahmoud Saad has been appointed as Zamalek s assistant coach, a club source said on Thursday. He has already begun his work, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FilGoal.com. Saad will assist head coach Michel Decastel, who is yet to enjoy his first win at the helm. Zamalek lost …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri admitted that his side s defensive lapses cost them dearly against Ismaili in Thursday s Egyptian Premier League game. A second-half header from Mohsen Abou-Greisha gave Ismaili a 1-0 victory over Ahly at Cairo Stadium. The towering striker rose unmarked to head home Omar Gamal s pinpoint cross from …

CAIRO: Egyptian full-back Ahmed Attwa will not be able to join Belgian second-division side Lierse until the summer. The former Ahli youngster underwent a trial at Lierse last week but his late arrival in Belgium cost him a winter move. He should have undergone this trial before the deadline of the clubs winter squad changes, …

CAIRO: Middlesbrough coach Gareth Southgate is not concerned with Mohamed Shawky s desire to leave the club. The Egyptian midfielder was recently quoted as saying that he would not see out his deal with the English Premier League club. Shawky seemingly seeks to play more first-team football as he has been mainly used as a …

CAIRO: Harras Hodoud coach Tarek Al-Ashri highlighted the difficulty of his side s clash against Rwanda s APR in the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32. We have to be cautious, Al-Ashri, who steered Hodoud to their first ever title when they won the Egyptian Cup this year, told FilGoal.com on Wednesday. APR defeated Zamalek …

CAIRO: Essam Al-Hadari s Sion slipped to the relegation zone after losing 3-2 to Neuchatel Xamax in the Swiss Super League on Sunday. Midfielder Sebastien Wuthrich put Neuchatel ahead on the hour mark. A brace from Ideye Aide Brown on 70 and 80 minutes killed off Sion s hopes of getting something from the game. …