CAIRO: The Egyptian FA has initially allowed Egypt coach Hassan Shehata to take charge of Nigeria during their 2010 World Cup campaign. The FA s general assembly gave Shehata the thumb up to coach Nigeria during the World Cup should a tangible offer is made, Salah Hosni, an executive in the Egyptian football governing body, …

CAIRO: The Saudi League disciplinary committee handed Hossam Ghaly a one-match suspension for his aggressive challenge on Yasser Al-Qahtani last week. Nassr midfielder Ghaly slapped the Saudi star in the face while vying for the ball in Hilal s 2-1 win on Thursday, but the referee turned a blind eye to the incident. The Egypt …

CAIRO: Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan has castigated the team s strikers after they wasted a host of goal-scoring opportunities during their 2-1 friendly victory over second-division side Grand Hotel. Hassan blamed the strikers for their wastefulness in the friendly match, Zamalek said on their website. He told them that they have to improve in the …

CAIRO: Former Zamalek defender Ashraf Qasem has been named as Mansoura s coach, the struggling club said on Sunday. Qasem has been appointed following the sudden resignation of Adel Teima, who complained of “the board s intervention in footballing matters . The 44-year-old will be the fourth coach to manage the promoted club this season. …

CAIRO: Zamalek defender Amr Al-Safti has signed a three-year contract extension that ties him to the Cairo club until 2013, the Whites said on their official site. I agreed to sign without any conditions or financial terms because I belong to Zamalek and I had given my word to (manager) Hossam Hassan, said the 28-year-old. …

CAIRO: Ahly winger Gilberto faces up to two months on the sidelines due to an ankle fracture, the club s football director said on Sunday. The Angolan international sustained the injury while playing for his national team in last month s African Cup of Nations. Gilberto will be out for between six to eight weeks, …

CAIRO: Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria fulfilled expectations to qualify to the next round of the 19th African Handball Championship after a non-surprising group stage. Morocco, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the trio to qualify for the second round in the championship held in Cairo and Suez. Twelve participating teams were pooled into …

CAIRO: Ismaili settled for a goalless draw away to Kenya s Sofapaka in the first leg of the African Champions League preliminary round on Saturday. The Dervishes had to thank keeper Mohamed Sobhi for keeping a clean sheet after he denied Sofapaka two goal-scoring opportunities. Sobhi deputized for regular guardian Essam Al-Hadari, who was left …

CAIRO: Italian Serie A side Genoa have expressed an interest in signing Emad Meteb next summer, the Ahly striker said on Wednesday. Genoa are one of two clubs who are keen on signing me, Meteb said in an interview with Al-Hayat TV. Turkish side Kayserispor (where fellow Egyptian Mohamed Shawky plays) are also interested but …

CAIRO: Hossam Ghaly escaped a red card as Saudi side Nassr slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Hilal after extra time to miss out on a place in the Crown Prince Cup semi final on Wednesday. The Egyptian midfielder helped Nassr book a place in the quarter finals when he scored twice in their 2-0 …

JOHANNESBURG: The 2010 African Champions League kicks off this weekend with three-time winners Raja Casablanca of Morocco among eight former title holders in action. Club Africain and Esperance of Tunisia, Algerian duo JS Kabylie and Entente Setif, Asante Kotoko of Ghana, Egyptian outfit Ismailia and Orlando Pirates of South Africa are the other former champions …

CAIRO: Adel Teima has become the third coach to leave Mansoura this season after suddenly announcing his resignation on Wednesday. We knew that Teima left the club through Television. He did not inform us of his decision, Mansoura chairman Ibrahim Megahed told FilGoal.com. Anyway, assistant coach Al-Husseini Kamal will take over at the club on …

CAIRO: Mido said on Thursday he is likely to attend Egypt s friendly game against England at Wembley as a spectator rather than a player. The African champions meet England on March 3 in their first game after clinching an unprecedented third consecutive Nations Cup title in Angola last month. Striker Mido, who left Zamalek …

CAIRO: Ahly, although still injury-depleted, will be seeking to secure a convincing win over an in-form Police Union side in the Egyptian Premier League on Friday to get over their defeat against Ghazl Mahalla. The Red Devils suffered their first defeat in the season when they lost 2-0 at Mahalla last Monday in disappointing manner, …

CAIRO: Mohamed Nagi Gedo has called on Zamalek to try to reach an out-of-court settlement with Ittihad over his future. The Egypt forward is in hot water after admitting that he signed a deal to join Zamalek next season as a free agent before extending his existing contract with Ittihad few days later. According to …

CAIRO: Egypt defender Wael Gomaa is looking forward to meeting England next month as he believes the African champions will be under no pressure in Wembley. After clinching a third-successive Nations Cup title, Egypt face the European giants who gear up for the 2010 World Cup in the summer. With regard to the fact that …

The number of our Egyptian athletes publicly testifying to their faith has drastically increased in the last few years. Increasingly, the athletes are wrapping not only themselves in religion but also their exploits in religious significance. Such testimonies have all become an accepted part of the game today. At least they’ve been accepted by the …

CAIRO: Zamalek playmaker Shikabala is close to signing a contract extension with the club, team coordinator Ibrahim Hassan said. We have reached an agreement with Shikabala over a three-year extension to his contract, Hassan told FilGoal.com. Shikabala, 23, will run out of contract in June and is expected to sign a new deal worth LE …

CAIRO: Egypt manager Hassan Shehata said he will not be coaching Nigeria in the World Cup. The three-time African Cup winner was sought, among other big names, by Nigeria to take charge of the team in South Africa after sacking Shaibu Amodu. Although Shehata was keen on the job, the EFA refused the Nigerian offer …

CAIRO: Mido is looking to help West Ham earn their first victory in 2010 when the Egyptian makes his home debut against Birmingham City on Wednesday night. The Hammers are languishing in 18th place of the Premier League table, but a win over the impressive City could well lift them over the danger zone. Birmingham …

CAIRO: Former Ahly s legendary manager Manuel Jose played down reports saying he is on his way back to the Cairo giants. The Portuguese left Ahly in the end of last season to take over as Angola manager, leading the host nation during the African Cup of Nations in January. He took Angola to the …

CAIRO: Ismaili coach Emad Soliman has excluded Essam Al-Hadari from the squad traveling to Kenya to face Sofapaka in the Champions League. The Egypt number one arrived late from international duty after the African Cup of Nations and hasn’t been training regularly ever since. Al-Hadari trained three times only since he arrived from the Nations …

CAIRO: Zamalek boss Hossam Hassan believes that Egypt s African Cup of Nations triumph had some negative effects on his team, highlighting the exit of Mido and the morale of Shikabala. Speaking after Monday s 2-0 victory over ENPPI, Hassan explained the mixed impact of the seven-week break on the White Knights, who had five …

CAIRO: Borussia Dortmund forward Mohamed Zidan has been involved in a war of words with referee Wolfgang Stark, in the wake of Sunday s Bundesliga defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. According to German daily Bild, Zidan received an unpleasant lecture from Stark as the Egyptian was calling for a foul late in his first game after …

CAIRO: Zamalek were inspired by young duo Alaa Ali and Hossam Arafat as they eased 2-0 past ENPPI in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday. Ali and Arafat, two rare starters for Hossam Hassan s team, scored in either side of the interval to give their manager a fourth victory in a row. Zamalek, who …

CAIRO: Essam Al-Hadari said he would return to Ismaili s training on Monday, the club said on Sunday. The Egypt goalkeeper has not turned up for training since helping Egypt win the African Cup of Nations in Angola last week. He was protesting against the club s decision to turn down two offers for him …

CAIRO: Ghana s versatile midfielder Ibrahim Ayew said he prefers to remain at Zamalek to preserve his chances of playing in the summer s World Cup. Reports in Ghana linked Ayew, the son of three-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele , with a European move. I did not receive any offers. I want …

CAIRO: Mohamed Zidan dished out an assist and had a hand in another goal but Borussia Dortmund surrendered a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Frankfurt went ahead with an eight-minute goal from Benjamin Kohler but Dortmund hit back with two goals from Mats Hummels and Argentinean striker …

CAIRO: The sudden departure of Mido and Amr Zaki could deal a fatal blow to Zamalek s hopes of finishing at least second in the Egyptian Premier League but they remain confident they can get over that. The strike duo did not really impress in the first half of the season but they were still …