CAIRO: Harras Hodoud coach Tarek Al-Ashri believes Cairo giants Ahly will spice up the CAF Confederation Cup. Title-holders Ahly surprisingly exited the Champions League at the hands of Nigerian side Kano Pillars in the round of 16. They will now play in Africa s secondary competition, the Confederation Cup. Ahly will add zest to the …

CAIRO: Arab Contractors striker Ihab Al-Masri refuted rumors that he signed for Ahly. Despite having two years remaining on his contract with the Contractors, recent reports suggested that Al-Masri already sealed a move to the Red Devils that would take place next season. However, the 23-year-old confirmed that he won t be making any decisions …

CAIRO: Egyptian Premier League leaders Ismaili might face Telecom Egypt in Cairo after the interior ministry deemed Banha Stadium unsafe to host the crucial clash. Ismaili had to play away from their venue in the past few matches after it was closed for renovations as Egypt prepare to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in …

CAIRO: ENPPI reached the CAF Confederation Cup third round despite suffering a crushing 3-0 defeat at Zimbabwe’s Red Arrows on Saturday. The Egyptian Cup finalists advanced with a 4-3 aggregate win, having claimed a comfortable 4-0 victory over Red Arrows in the first leg in Cairo. The visitors went to the locker room one up, …

CAIRO: Egyptian clubs will not be allowed to buy foreign goalkeepers starting next season, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Sunday. We will allow the current foreign keepers in the Egyptian league to see out their contracts but they will not be able to extend them, the EFA said in a statement on its …

CAIRO: Germany legend Lothar Matthaus is shortlisted as a possible replacement for Ahly coach Manuel Jose, according to Modern Sport TV. Jose will leave Ahly when his contract expires by the end of next season, but it seems that the Egyptian champions are already looking for a new boss amid their recent misfiring. Modern Sport …

JOHANNESBURG: Title holders Al-Ahly were shock final qualifying round casualties in the African Champions League this weekend. Ahly came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Kano Pillars from Nigeria in Cairo, but were eliminated from the $3.5-million competition on the away-goal rule after a 1-1 first leg stalemate. The damage was done early …

CAIRO: Mortada Mansour called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to interfere in his conflict with the National Sports Council (NSC) after being banned from taking part in Zamalek s elections. The NSC said on Thursday that the controversial lawyer was not eligible to run for the presidency seat because of his poor criminal record. The …

Ivan Ooze had just been inadvertently unearthed from his egg-shaped Hyperlock chamber by a 20th century construction crew when he came face-to-face with the Power Rangers. Pack your bags, Mister, one Ranger fearlessly told the evil Ivan. You re going back where you came from. Nothing much has changed in 6,000 years, sneered Ivan. A …

CAIRO: Ismailia took a three-point lead over Al-Ahly on Tuesday in a thrilling Egyptian Premiership title chase by winning 3-1 at home to Zamalek. Mohamed Abou-Greisha gave the host club a fourth-minute lead which Iraqi Mostafa Karim extended before veteran Abdel-Halim Ali reduced arrears in a showdown of former African champions. Karim completed the scoring …

CAIRO: Nasr midfielder Hossam Ghaly apologized to teammate Elton Jose after both players embroiled in a row on the pitch during the weekend s cup draw with Hilal, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported. The paper said that Ghaly patched things up with his Brazilian teammate as he offered a public apology during a training session on Tuesday. …

CAIRO: Arab Contractors and Gaish have soothed their Egyptian Premier League relegation worries after sealing victories over Tersana and Masri respectively on Tuesday. The Mountain Wolves condemned Tersana to a 3-1 loss to move up to 11th spot with 33 points, while the Hammers remained on 23 points in penultimate place in the 16-team table. …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri believes that referee Medhat Abdel-Aziz shouldn’t have been selected to officiate Monday s league draw with ENPPI. Ahly coach Manuel Jose and defender Sayed Moawad were sent off during the 2-2 draw at Military Academy Stadium. The edgy atmosphere inside and outside the pitch was caused by the referee. …

CAIRO: Asyut Petroleum came out of the relegation zone with a decisive 1-0 win over Ittihad in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday. Full-back Sherif Nawareg scored the only goal of the game in the 62nd minute, handing Mohamed Amer s side a second successive victory. Asyut advanced to 10th place on 32 points, while …

CAIRO: Telecom Egypt overturned their two-goal trailing to draw 2-2 at Petrojet in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday, whereas Ghazl Mahalla held Police Union to a goalless draw. In Suez, the home side was comfortably holding a first-half lead, thanks to goals from Alaa Ibrahim and Eric Bekoe. Last season s top scorer Ibrahim …

CAIRO: Ahly and Egypt defender Wael Gomaa has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he picked up an injury in Monday s 2-2 league draw with ENPPI, the Red Devils said. The 33-year-old center-half sustained a hamstring injury in the early minutes of the game, and a muscle tear was confirmed …

ZURICH, Switzerland: FIFA said Monday that World Cup match referees have the authority to delay kickoffs for safety reasons, after 19 fans were killed in a stampede at a stadium in the Ivory Coast. Football s governing body has also asked each of the 52 national federations in Africa to send security specialists to a …

CAIRO: Amr Zaki returned to action but Wigan Athletic s hopes of earning a Europa League place suffered a major blow following a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. Benni McCarthy put the hosts ahead on the stroke of halftime when he headed in Morten Pedersen s corner. The South Africa striker doubled Blackburn …

CAIRO: Ahly will be facing Scottish champions Glasgow Celtic in the club s first game of the Wembley Cup, according to the Red Devils official website. The six-time African champions will be taking part in the friendly tournament, which will be held in London at the New Wembley stadium between July 24 and 26. After …

CAIROA: Zamalek hinted on Sunday that Gamal Hamza could still have a future at the club despite revealing his intention to leave in the summer. The controversial forward said earlier this month that he would not extend his Zamalek contract, which runs out at the end of the season. I took that decision after realizing …

CAIRO: Sion coach Didier Tholot said Egyptian keeper Essam Al-Hadari would regain his place between the sticks against Basel next week due to the suspension of Nicolas Beney. Al-Hadari has lost his regular spot since returning late from international duty after a dispute with Sion chairman Christian Constantin. But he is set to play in …

CAIRO: Zamalek s interim chairman Mohamed Amer said the board of directors he heads played a key role in the team s revival by appointing coach Michel Decastel. We were heavily criticized at that time but our decision to bring in Decastel proved fruitful, Amer, whose time in office nears an end, told a news …

CAIRO: Zamalek will be focusing on claiming all three points when they play against Ismaili like they always do, according to assistant coach Sami Al-Sheshini. The White Knights, who held arch-rivals Ahly to a goalless draw in Thursday s Cairo derby, could play a pivotal role in determining the Egyptian Premier League winner. They will …

CAIRO: Zamalek right-back Hazem Emam was grateful to his mother for soothing his concerns few hours before the Cairo derby against Ahly. He told Dream TV on Saturday that he was over stressing and worried about the game, hours before it started. We were not allowed to switch on our mobiles but I needed to …

CAIRO: Ahly Coach Manuel Jose said that ENPPI will be like a wounded lion when they face his team in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday. ENPPI lost to Harras Hodoud 4-2 on Thursday in a game which was marred by controversial refereeing. The Portuguese tactician is convinced the petroleum side will be keen on …

CAIRO: Ahly midfielder Mohamed Barakat took part in his team s training Saturday after recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the team for two weeks. The Egyptian international missed the Ghazl Mahalla, Kano Pillars and Zamalek games, but he may might feature against ENPPI on Monday. Ahmed Al-Sayed also took part …

CAIRO: Ahly s influential midfielders Ahmed Hassan and Ahmed Fathi are doubtful for Monday s Egyptian Premier League clash against ENPPI. Egypt skipper Hassan picked up a thigh injury during Ahly s goalless draw with arch-rivals Zamalek in the Cairo derby on Thursday. We are not sure yet whether Hassan can play against ENPPI, Ahly …

CAIRO: Zamalek have asked Ghanaian striker Junior Agogo to pay the club a sum of ?1 million, Ghanaian newspaper Daily Guide Ghana reported. Agogo recently terminated his contract with Zamalek before reporting the club to FIFA as he claimed he wasn t paid the last five months salary. Zamalek board member Khaled Ahmed Refaat told …

CAIRO: FC Sion president Christian Constantin confirmed that his club has not received any notice from FIFA confirming that Essam Al-Hadari will be suspended. The goalkeeper’s former club Ahly earlier announced that FIFA will suspend the player for four months starting August. The Red Devils website added that Sion will be fined ?900.000 and receive …

CAIRO: Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere was chosen to officiate Thursday s Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced. The 43-year-old will be assisted by fellow countrymen Peter Hermans and Alex Verstraeten, EFA said on its official website. De Bleeckere has refereed many high-profile games since becoming an international referee …