CAIRO: Gouna shot-stopper Sherif Ekrami is expected to take no part in Thursday s league match with leaders Petrojet, after picking up a minor knee injury in training. FilGoal.com has learnt that the former Ahly goalie underwent medical tests, and an X-ray image showed that he s suffering a knee cartilage inflammation. Ekrami, who joined …

CAIRO: Ahly playmaker Mohamed Abou-Trika definitely won t be able to play in Friday s league match against Gaish due to injury. The 31-year-old talisman sustained a knee injury over a week ago, and hasn t fully recuperated yet. According to Ahly s official website, Abou-Trika felt pain in his injured knee during Tuesday s …

CAIRO: Zamalek playmaker Mahoumd “Shikabala Abdel-Razeq has been ruled out of Thursday s league game with Ittihad through injury. Henri Michel, who has been recently reappointed as the Cairo side s coach, named his provisional squad for the match, and the 23-year-old wasn t included as he hasn t reached full recovery yet. Shikabala was …

CAIRO: Gamal Hamza needs to exert much more efforts if he is to earn a place among Mainz s starting eleven, coach Thomas Tuchel said on Wednesday. The Egyptian forward joined Mainz in the close season after his contract with Zamalek expired but he is yet to make his Bundesliga debut. Known as a troublemaker …

CAIRO: Zamalek refused to take an opportunity to sign Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed Shawky in the close season, the club s chairman Mamdouh Abbas said on Wednesday. [English Championship side] Middlesbrough offered us Shawky, but we do not really need him, Abbas told Egyptian Radio. He is a good player but we have several promising midfielders …

CAIRO: Gamal Hamza is still facing a fitness battle and need a lot of work to be up to scratch, according to Mainz s sports manager Axel Schuster. The 28-year-old joined the Bundesliga club from Zamalek in June, but barely played first-team football over the past three months. Hamza has always been hailed in Egypt …

CAIRO: Gaish boss Farouk Gaafar revealed his key weapons to pull off a victory over league title holders Ahly on Friday. Gaish came close to causing a major upset against Ahly in last season s final game, but conceded a late goal to lose to the eventual champions. This time Gaafar is looking for a …

CAIRO: Ahly are still unsure whether Mohamed Abou-Trika and Hossam Ashour will be fit for Friday s league clash with Gaish as the midfield duo is still struggling with injury. Egypt playmaker Abou-Trika sustained a knee injury while on international duty and was accordingly ruled out of the qualifier in Rwanda. Even though Ahly said …

CAIRO: Zamalek called on the Egyptian Football A to change the venue of their home league game with Ittihad, which is scheduled for Thursday. The game is supposed to be held at Arab Contractors Stadium, but the White Knights want to play at the Military Academy instead. Zamalek spokesman Sabri Serag said his club s …

CAIRO: Egypt are looking to arrange friendly game before meeting Zambia in their next World Cup qualifier on October 10, assistant coach Shawki Gharib said on Sunday. We want to play a friendly during the Egyptian Premier League break, Gharib told FilGoal.com. The league will be halted from September 23 to October 19 when Egypt …

CAIRO: Algeria dented Egypt s hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup after claiming a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia in Blida on Sunday. Rafik Saifi scored the winner 14 minutes after the break to dash Zambia s hopes of causing a major upset in Group C. Algeria, who now have 10 points from four …

CAIRO: Egypt striker Al-Sayed Hamdi has been ruled out of action for over a month after sustaining a foot injury in Saturday s 1-0 win at Rwanda in the World Cup qualifying stage. The Petrojet ace, who was taken off late in the first half, was initially diagnosed with an ankle problem, but further medical …

CAIRO: Egypt goalkeeping coach Ahmed Soliman believes that Essam Al-Hadari puts in far better performances with Egypt than with Ismaili. The former Ahl shot-stopper was praised for his impressive display in the Pharaohs 1-0 win over Rwanda in the World Cup qualifying stage. Al-Hadari always excels with Egypt, he produces brilliant displays on the international …

CAIRO: Egypt captain Ahmed Hassan says his goal in Saturday s 1-0 win at Rwanda was a reward from God for his insistence on fasting while playing the game. The Ahlyv ace notched the winner midway through the second half to seal the vital victory for the African champions. It was a critical match, but …

JOHANNESBURG: Ahmed Hassan kept African champions Egypt in the hunt for a 2010 World Cup place by scoring the goal that defeated Rwanda 1-0 in Kigali Saturday. The 34-year-old midfielder from Cairo giants Al-Ahly hammered an Ahmed Fathi pass into the net on 68 minutes before a near-capacity crowd at the 35,000-seat Amahoro Stadium in …

CAIRO: Mohamed Abou-Trika opted not to participate in Saturday s World Cup qualifier against Rwanda to avoid the risk of an early substitution. The inspirational playmaker was due to start the game but aggravated a knee injury he picked up in training earlier this week, few minutes before the kick-off. Egypt assistant coach Hamada Sedki …

CAIRO: Rwanda s Muslim players will not fast on Saturday when they host Egypt in an anticipated World Cup qualifier, local reports said. The Newstimes said the likes of Haruna Niyonzima, Abedi Mulenda and Hamad Ndikumana have been exempted from fasting by the country s Mufti. The match will be held on the 16th day …

CAIRO: Amr Zaki could well be fit when Zamalek take on Ittihad in the Egyptian Premier League next week, but Mahmoud “Shikabala Abdel-Razeq is likely to be ruled out of the game. Zaki has been struggling with a hamstring injury since last month s 2-1 league defeat to Petrojet, and eventually missed the game with …

CAIRO: Playmaker Mohamed Abou-Trika is unlikely to start Egypt s World Cup qualifier at Rwanda on Saturday. The Pharaohs medical team said that the Ahly man, who underwent scans on Thursday after sustaining a knee injury, might not be able to play the full 90 minutes. Abou-Treika s club teammate Mohamed Barakat, who is also …

CAIRO: Ahly came from behind to thrash Rabat & Anwar 4-1 in an exhibition match on Tuesday. The second-division side took the lead three minutes past the half-hour mark, thanks to a Sherif Wasfi strike. But Ahly responded fiercely after the interval. Red Devils coach Hossam Al-Badri made half a dozen substitutions at once after …

CAIRO: UAE side Ahly are attempting a loan bid for Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan after failing to sign playmaker Mohamed Abou-Trika. The Dubai-based club contacted Egyptian champions Ahly over the possibility of acquiring the services of Hassan on a three-month loan deal. They want to bolster their squad ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup …

ALEXANDRIA: Theo Buecker may not be appointed as Ittihad coach, and the club s officials are considering hiring either Michel Decastel or Carlos Alberto Cabral instead. Although he was set to sign a contract with the Alexandrian side in the immediate future, Buecker seemed to be backing out of the deal. The German boss was …

CAIRO: Harras Hodoud boss Tarek Al-Ashri blamed different reasons for his side s recent defeat to Stade Malien in the CAF Confederations Cup. Hodoud lost 2-0 in Mali on Sunday, slipping to third place in Group A, four points behind leaders Stade Malien. We lost because of different reasons. First, the temperature and humidity were …

CAIRO: Skipper Ahmed Al-Sayed committed on Wednesday his future to Ahly after reports said he was reluctant to sign a new deal. The central defender s current contract will expire next summer but he said is adamant he will extend it. I will not play for another club after the many years I spent here, …

CAIRO: Mahmoud Fathallah will be out of action for no less than three months, after an x-ray image showed that the Zamalek defender suffered a complex shoulder injury. Fathallah was seriously hurt in Egypt s training on Sunday morning, before he was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. The Egypt stopper was first …

CAIRO: Celtic manager Tony Mowbray denied that the Scottish giants were bidding for Egypt and Zamalek playmaker Shikabala. FilGoal.com learnt on Thursday that the Bhoys informed Zamalek of their intent to land the 23-year-old this summer. Mowbray revealed his admiration for the versatile midfielder, but assured that his club didn t make any tangible moves …

CAIRO: ENPPI announced that they turned down Sunderland s bid for Ahmed Al-Muhammadi because it was not up to scratch. On their official website, the Petroleum side voiced their dissatisfaction over the Black Cats offer, saying the 21-year-old deserved a more rewarding one. Premiership club Sunderland were aiming to put the Egypt right winger through …

CAIRO: Mohamed Abou-Trika suffered a knee injury while Mohamed Barakat picked up a pelvic injury in Egypt s training, and they might be ruled out of Saturday s World Cup qualifier against Rwanda. Abou-Trika sustained a knee contusion on Monday night, chief medic Ahmed Maged told FilGoal.com. However, the injury was only discovered on Tuesday, …

CAIRO: Egypt have moved up one position in the monthly FIFA ranking for national teams conducted by the world governing body. Following a 3-3 home draw with Guinea last month, Egypt gained seven points in August to become 32nd of the table. The African champions are still third continentally after Ivory Coast (20th) and Cameroon …

CAIRO: Ahly coach Hossam Al-Badri revealed that he has been working on improving the Red Devils rearguard ahead of their upcoming Egyptian Premier League game with Gaish on September 11th. I aim to put an end to our recurrent defensive lapses in the league stoppage period, he told Ahly s official website. Over the past …