CAIRO: Zamalek playmaker Mahmoud “Shikabala Abdel-Razeq has returned to full training following a family bereavement, whereas Junior Agogo is yet to arrive from Ghana. Shikabala missed training during the past 10 days due to his mother s death, but the Cairo club s website stated that the 22-year-old is back in action. Midfielder Mohamed Abdullah …

CAIRO: Egypt striker Ahmed “Mido Hossams highlighted the significance of the Pharaohs’ next World Cup qualifiers clash in Algeria, in the wake of Sunday s 1-1 draw with Zambia. The African champions were frustrated at home by the Chipolopolo, losing two vital points in their Group C opener. A stumble at the start does not …

ISMAILIYA: Ismaili has reopened talks with striker Mohamed Fadl over a contract extension, in another attempt to keep him in Ismailia after his contract expires. The 29-year-old’s contract ends this summer and the Dervishes have been struggling to reach an agreement with him over the past few months. However, Ismaili football director Ihab Galal revealed …

CAIRO: Ahly new player Vincent Abai expressed his delight to play alongside Mohamed Abou-Trika, as he admitted that competition will be tough for a place in the Red Devils roster. The 21-year-old Nigerian recently signed a contract with the Egyptian champions, following a successful trial last week. Abai, who played for Enugu Rangers and FC …

CAIRO: Egypt goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari played down injury fears as he confirmed that he is ready to face Zambia in next week s World Cup qualifier. The 35-year-old missed Sion s recent league defeat to Aarau with a muscle problem, fueling concerns over his fitness. The recent injury is not worrying, I feel much better …

ISMAILIYA: Ismaili chairman Nasr Aboul-Hassan admitted that the morale inside the Dervishes dressing room has gone down after the recent exit from the Arab Champions League. Ricardo Ferreira s side lost on penalties to Tunisia s Esperance last week to crash out of the regional competition, which represented their only hope of silverware. We are …

CAIRO: The Cairo derby clash between Zamalek and Ahly will be played on April 23 at the Military Academy Stadium. Zamalek general manager Alaa Meklid confirmed that the White Knights, who host the game, have reached an agreement with Military Academy officials. The derby will be played at the Military Academy, but we will play …

CAIRO: Zamalek signed striker Ayman Kamal from second-division side Masr Makassa on a five-year deal. The 23-year-old penned a contract on Monday, and will join the Cairo club in the summer. Kamal, who used to play for ENPPI youth, was poised to join Zamalek in January along with full-back Sabri Rahil, but Makassa only went …

CAIRO: Arab Contractors Stadium will host Zamalek s remaining home games in the Egyptian Premier League, excluding the Cairo derby with Ahly, the White Knights said on Sunday. Zamalek s official site confirmed that the upcoming home games with Petrojet and Asyut Petroleum will be played at Green Mountain as Cairo Stadium will be closed …

CAIRO: Telecom Egypt boss Hossam Hassan believes that FIFA will act against the relegation of any team in the Egyptian Premier League this season because of the illegitimate number of petroleum clubs. Hassan, whose side are serious favorites for relegation alongside Tersana and Olympic, is adamant that the Egyptian Football Association won t be able …

CAIRO: Zamalek outcast Junior Agogo was on target for the White Knights U-20 team, who drew 2-2 with Telecom Egypt on Monday. The Ghanaian scored a first-half penalty before youngster Hossam Gamal doubled Zamalek s lead. But Telecom managed to level the score in the last 15 minutes. Agogo had his fair share of problems …

CAIRO: Zamalek are seriously considering taking part in next season s Arab Champions League, chairman Mohamed Amer said. The Cairo club, who is currently seventh in the Egyptian league, is unlikely to secure a place in either the CAF Champions League or the Confederation Cup. Speaking to the club s official site, Zamalek interim chairman …

CAIRO: Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib revealed that Hossam Ghaly was not selected for the World Cup qualifier with Zambia in order to help him settle in with Nasr. Ghaly, alongside Ahmed Abou-Mosallam and Abdel-Zaher Al-Saqqa, had no place in a seven-man list of foreign-based Egyptians for this month s qualifier. However, Gharib stressed that …

CAIRO: Zamalek goalkeeper Abdel-Wahed Al-Sayed said he hopes to see club mate Mohamed Abdel-Monsef returning to the national team in the near future. Al-Sayed took over from Abdel-Monsef as Zamalek number one this season, but the former paid tribute to his goalkeeping rival, who has recently lost his place in the Egypt roster. Zamalek captain …

CAIRO: Egypt coach Hassan Shehata said September would be the best timing to face Rwanda in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Egypt was left in a critical situation regarding the Group C fixture, which was originally scheduled for June 10. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) received a notification from its Algerian counterpart on Sunday, setting …

CAIRO: The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) are set to inform FIFA with the difficulty of facing Rwanda on June 10, after Algeria postponed their 2010 World Cup qualifiers meeting with Egypt. The EFA received a notification from the Algerian Football Federation on Sunday, setting June 7 as the new date of the qualifier, one day …

CAIRO: Petrojet boss Mokhtar Mokhtar said “it would be great if his side managed to secure a Champions League spot this season, even if they missed out on the title. Mokhtar saw his side scrolling to a 1-0 Egyptian Premier League victory over Ismaili on Monday to revive their chances of challenging leaders Ahly. Despite …

CAIRO: Telecom Egypt coach Hossam Hassan believes he can save his struggling side from relegation this season. The 41-year-old took over from Helmi Toulan last week, but was defeated by ENPPI in his debut with the Cairo side. Despite being third from bottom, five points adrift of the safety zone, Hassan is optimistic over Telecom …

CAIRO: Zamalek quashed reports suggesting that winter signing Ollie Koffi is suffering from a permanent vision problem. It was rumored that the Ivorian striker, who was excluded from the previous five games, is suffering from night blindness. We are angry to hear such false allegations, Zamalek chief medic Mostafa Al-Monayeri was quoted by the club …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri denied claims that Mohamed Barakat was fined following a red card in last weekend s league match with Police Union. Some reports in Egypt said that the 30-year-old was fined LE 5,000 after picking up two cautions in the goalless draw. These claims are not true, especially that Barakat …

CAIRO: Ahly are set welcome back talismanic playmaker Mohamed Abou-Trika in this weekend s league game against Police Union. The 30-year-old suffered an ankle injury in last month s 2-2 draw at Petrojet, following an imprudent tackle by Hassan Konde. Abou-Trika was expected to serve a longer period on the sidelines, but Ahly s official …

CAIRO: Mohamed “Geddo Nagi scored the only goal of the game to hand Ittihad a 1-0 win over fellow Alexandria rivals Harras Hodoud in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday. Geddo grabbed the winner in the first half s stoppage time when he finished off a fortunate solo run, which saw him rounding Mathurin Kameni …

CAIRO: Police Union thrashed Olympic 3-0 on Monday, to jump five places in the Egyptian Premier League table. Mohamed Yehia volleyed in the opener after just three minutes, before Mohamed Nagib added the second with a header five minutes later. The early lead was enough to end the contest, but Yehia netted his second of …

CAIRO: Ahly marketing director Adli Al-Qaeyi refuted media claims that Zamalek striker Gamal Hamza will join the Red Devils, expressing his dismay with the false allegations. I am astonished with these allegations. Ahly have not spoken to Hamza in a way or another, Al-Qaeyi told Filgoal.com. I received a load of phone calls asking me …

CAIRO: Ahly defender Wael Gomaa required four stitches to treat a head injury sustained in Monday s 2-2 draw with Asyut Petroleum, the Red Devils said in their official site. The veteran center-half collided with teammate Ahmed Al-Sayed in the league match, but Ahly confirmed that the injury is minor. Gomaa did not have the …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri admitted that his side s backline has been operating poorly lately, following the 2-2 draw at Asyut Petroleum on Monday. Manuel Jose s team conceded for the sixth game running, despite making a slight change in defense by bringing in Mohamed Samir for Shadi Mohamed and Ahmed Ali for …

CAIRO: Hassan Shehata voiced his anxiety with the level of performance of goalkeepers within the Egypt setup in the meantime. Egypt’s coach criticized first-choice keeper Essam Al-Hadari, in addition to backup guardians Amir Abdel-Hamid and Abdel-Wahed Al-Sayed. Al-Hadari conceded three goals with Sion in the last match, Amir was beaten by two goals against Petrojet …

CAIRO: Mohamed Abdel-Wahed scored one goal and set up another to help Lierse crush their visitors Eupen 4-1 in the Belgian second division. The Egyptian midfielder hit the second goal of the game in the 25th minute after Jurgen Cavens had opened the scoring for Lierse early on. Frederic Frans added a third before half-time …

CAIRO: Ahly will be without influential midfielder Mohamed Barakat when they visit Asyut Petroleum in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday. The 31-year-old was struggling with a hamstring problem since last week s 1-0 defeat to Ismaili, and Manuel Jose has eventually decided to rest him. Ahly, who already miss Mohamed Abou-Trika to injury, will …

CAIRO: Zamalek ace Mahmoud “Shikabala Abdel-Razeq is tipped for a £1 million switch to Scottish giants Celtic this summer, according to agent Georg Stanggassinger. Stanggassinger, who represents Shikabala, revealed that the 22-year-old playmaker was close to joining the Bhoys in the winter, but a deal was not completed as the latter ran out of time. …