CAIRO: Egyptian manager Mohsen Saleh has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Libyan national team, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) announced. Saleh has been sacked following poor results in the two opening qualifying games of the 2008 African Nations Cup. The LFF thanked Saleh for his work during the last period …

Coach gets off without a reprimand CAIRO: By day’s end on Sunday, Al-Ahli will be crowned the defending champions of the African Champions League or referred to in less pristine terms. Ahli plays ASEC of Ivory Coast in Abidjan, nursing a delicate 2-0 lead from the first-leg of the semi-final. ASEC don’t usually lose at …

FilGoal.com Ahli satellite channel, set to launch later this year, will have the exclusive satellite rights of airing the team s domestic games, club Chairman Hassan Hamdi said on Wednesday. The matches will be aired terrestrially as usual but our channel will be the only available satellite broadcaster, Hamdi told a press briefing. There are …

Reuters JOHANNESBURG: Al-Ahli face the prospect of determined rear guard action when they face Ivory coast side ASEC Abidjan, who have an enviable goal scoring record at home, in Sunday s African Champions League semi-final second leg tie. Al-Ahli won 2-0 in Cairo in the first encounter at the start of the month and are …

Reuters JOHANNESBURG: Al-Ahli face the prospect of determined rear guard action when they face Ivory coast side ASEC Abidjan, who have an enviable goal scoring record at home, in Sunday s African Champions League semi-final second leg tie. Al-Ahli won 2-0 in Cairo in the first encounter at the start of the month and are …

CAIRO: Ten days in Egypt, seven days racing, the Pharaons International Cross Country Rally 2006was a highly successful event across the board. Four hundred and fifty people, as opposed to the 390 that attended last year, set out on a grueling 3,000 kilometer run through the Sahara Desert. The race began under the watchful gaze …

CAIRO: Excluded from the World Cup, Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt seem intent on making amends in the African Cup of Nations. Cameroon and Nigeria won their second in as many matches and African Cup champion Egypt drew away from home this weekend as all three took control of their respective groups in the continent s …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Defending champions Egypt were held 0-0 away to Botswana Saturday as the second round of 2008 African Nations Cup qualifiers kicked off. The result lifted the Pharaohs above Group 2 surprise package Mauritania into first place on four points, one more than the minnows from the north-west of the continent. Coached by …

CAIRO: As far as can be ascertained, only one person has ever played squash against both Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Mohamed Awad is Egyptian who was once No 9 in the world, two reasons why he was granted court time with Mubarak. Awad’s date with Rumsfeld came in February …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Mohamed Aboutraika sparkled as Al-Ahli of Egypt beat ASEC of Ivory Coast 2-0 in the first leg of an African Champions League semi-final at the weekend. The midfielder, who helped Egypt win the African Nations Cup a record fifth time last February, scored the first goal and created the second before a …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: The stars from Egyptian club giants Al-Ahli have already broken the hearts of Ivory Coast football followers this year. And on Sunday night the Red Devils will try to do so again, this time when title holders Ahli host ASEC Abidjan in the first leg of an African Champions League semi-final. Last …

Should we talk about bodybuilding in this column? We ask because many people don’t think bodybuilding is a real sport. Egypt came first in the African bodybuilding championship held here last week and is readying for the Mediterranean championship next month. The achievement should not be overlooked but it doesn’t answer the question: Is bodybuilding …

The patient in hospital room 387 in Maadi used to finish first in some of the biggest, most famous races in the world. Today, he is involved in perhaps the toughest challenge of all – the race against time. A weak heart has sapped much of the strength that once coursed through the sinews of …

CAIRO: Mohamed Abdel Wahab may have died but his story has not.Though it’s been more than two weeks since the 23-year-old left fullback for Ahli and Egypt collapsed in training and died within minutes, the Egyptian sports community – and indeed those who don’t follow sports and even those who never heard of him – …

Abdul-Wahab testimony turns into goal festival By Ahmad Saied Tens of thousands of Egyptians packed the Military Academy Stadium on Wednesday to bid farewell to Al Ahli s late star Mohamed Abdul Wahab, whose testimonial game turned into a goal-festival. Supporters for different Egyptian clubs attended the testimonial, carrying giant photos of Abdul Wahab and …

CAIRO: No player will be registered in any Egyptian club s squad next season unless he passes a heart examination, the Egyptian Football Association announced on Sunday. The decision was taken in the aftermath of Mohamed Abdul Wahab s shocking recent death during an Al Ahli training session due to heart failure, an incident that …

CAIRO: Holders Al Ahli of Egypt became the first team to book a place in the African Champions League semi-finals after holding on for a 2-1 win over CS Sfaxien of Tunisia in Cairo on Saturday. The win took Al Ahli to 10 points at the top of the Group A standings and still left …

CAIRO: After a proposed move to former club Zamalek fell through, Africa s most capped international Hossam Hassan is joining Tersana in the Egyptian premier league, the club announced. The 40-year-old, who helped his country to win the African Nations Cup title earlier this year, has signed a one-year contract. Hassan joins Tersana after the …

Agence France-Presse LONDON: Mido has returned to Tottenham with a sharp new haircut, a slimline figure and a burning desire to reignite his love affair with the White Hart Lane faithful. The Egyptian striker, whose flowing locks have been replaced with a severe crew cut, revealed on Thursday that he had shed 10 kilos over …

CAIRO: Although local motorsport is still taking baby steps, Egypt will have the honor of hosting the Middle East Karting Cup. Ghibli raceway, located in Sharm El-Sheikh, will co-host the championship in conjunction with the Kartdrome raceway in Dubai. The move is hailed as a step forward, if not a leap, in the still struggling …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: David Palmer can count himself the bravest and Gregory Gaultier the unluckiest player there has ever been in a World Open final after the Australian beat the Frenchman 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-10, 11-2 in front of the illuminated Giza pyramids here on Wednesday. The up-and-down nature of this startling contest hardly paled …

Reuters JOHANNESBURG: Holders Al Ahli, opponents CS Sfaxien and the Ivorian club ASEC Abidjan can ensure qualification to the semi-finals of the African Champions League with positive results at the weekend. Tunisian provincial club Sfaxien need only draw in Saturday s Group A clash in Cairo to reach the final four. Their Egyptian opponents, however, …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Gregory Gaultier earned himself a showdown with Amr Shabana, the world champion from Egypt, on Monday and made sure that two Frenchmen reached the semi-finals of the World Open for the first time with a display almost as brilliant as the nearby illuminated pyramids at night. The European champion also signaled himself …

JOHANNESBURG: The giants of African football demonstrated their strength in the first series of 2008 Nations Cup qualifiers this weekend. Of the eight teams among the top 10 in action, defending champions Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco and Togo won while Guinea and Tunisia featured in goalless draws. Hosts Ghana qualify automatically for the biennial …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: World champion Amr Shabana was close to losing his world title to his best friend before reaching the quarter-finals in front of the Pyramids here on Saturday. The local hero was 2-8 down in the third game and had to save three game balls before surviving 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-10 against Mohammed …

CAIRO: Egypt, Nigeria and Senegal kicked off the African Cup of Nations qualifying tournament with wins Saturday. Nigeria, which failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, beat neighbor Niger 2-0 while Senegal topped Mozambique 2-0 and Egypt downed Burundi 4-1. South Africa, which will host the next World Cup in 2010, and is soon …

Footballers of Burundi would need to think as positively as George Bush does about Iraq if they hope to beat Egypt when the two countries face off in Cairo today in the first qualifying game of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (ACN). They would also have to be as completely out of it, as …

Reuters JOHANNESBURG: Champions Egypt head a list of 44 African countries who start their campaigns this weekend to qualify for the 2008 Nations Cup. Only Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe have the weekend off. The Egyptians should have little to fear against Burundi in Cairo on Saturday on their way to the 16-team final tournament in …

CAIRO: Egyptian international defender Mohamed Abdel Wahab died after collapsing on the training field on Thursday, club officials said. The 22-year-old, a member of the Egyptian side that won the African Nations Cup finals in February, was pronounced dead before arriving at hospital, his club Al Ahli added. Abdel Wahab, who would have turned 23 …

CAIRO: Amr Shabana is under no illusions how much pressure he will be under when he starts the defense of his world squash title in front of the pyramids in Giza. The 2006 World Open championships (Sept. 1-6) will take place at one of the most spectacular venues in sport, and the local favorite will …