CAIRO: Amr Zaki remained tight-lipped over Ahmed “Mido Hossam s recent accusations after “receiving instructions from Egypt coach Hassan Shehata not to respond. Mido claimed on Tuesday that his Wigan teammate tried to spread a false rumor about the former s allegedly furious reaction to being benched in the 1-1 draw with Zambia. Mido vehemently …

CAIRO: Ahly midfielder Ahmed Hassan is set to miss his team s game against Young Africans in the CAF Champions League on April 5 due to injury. The former Anderlecht man sustained an ankle injury during Egypt s 1-1 draw with Zambia in the World Cup qualifiers on Sunday. I had to complete the rest …

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: Ahly playmaker Mohamed Abou-Trika has traveled to Algeria in order to attend a ceremony that will be held by renowned newspaper Al-Hadaf to honor the 30-year-old. The Egypt ace was named the best footballer in the Dark Continent by the readers of the Algerian publication that conducts an annual poll for Africa s best. …

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: Zambia coach Herve Renard hailed the performance of keeper Kennedy Mweene after his side held Egypt to a 1-1 draw at Cairo Stadium in the World Cup qualifiers. Amr Zaki put Egypt ahead on 27 minutes but Zambia secured a share of spoils through a Francis Kasonde header 12 minutes after the restart. Substitute …

JOHANNESBURG: Zambia came from behind to force a 1-1 draw with Egypt at Cairo Stadium on Sunday as the 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup qualifying shocks continued. Wigan striker Amr Zaki put the Pharaohs ahead on 27 minutes only for defender Dennis Banda from Lusaka army club Green Buffaloes to equalize early in the second …

CAIRO: Egypt tactician Hassan Shehata voiced his satisfaction with fans’ support during the Pharaohs 1-1 draw with Zambia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers final phase. The game was supposed to be a walk in the park for the African champions, but the Chipolopolo salvaged a point. Egypt s display was notably below-par. And Shehata …

CAIRO: Zambia midfielder Felix Katongo was delighted following his team s 1-1 draw with Egypt in the 2010 World Cup qualifications on Sunday. After a first-half strike from Amr Zaki, The Chipolopolo stunned Egypt with a 57th minute equalizer to share the spoils at Cairo Stadium. We came to Egypt to win a point, and …

CAIRO: Zamalek have promoted Hossam Gamal to the first-team squad after he put on an impressive performance with the U-21 team. I have signed a five-year contract with the first team after agreeing personal terms with assistant coach Mahmoud Saad, the 20-year-old defender told FilGoal.com. Gamal came across as a competent player in Zamalek s …

CAIRO: Amr Zaki will be sidelined for at least three weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in Egypt s 1-1 World Cup qualifier draw with Zambia on Sunday. The Wigan Athletic striker, who scored the Pharaohs only goal, sustained the injury during the second half of the game. He had to stay on the …

CAIRO: Ahly have a called off a friendly game against second-division side Canal Mooring & Lights (CML) after being hit by a string of injuries. The Red Devils tried to make use of the Egyptian Premier League break by facing CML on Saturday but decided to cancel the game after several key players picked up …

CAIRO: Egypt coach Hassan Shehata believes the opener of the World Cup qualifiers final phase will be difficult regardless of Zambia s caliber. Beginnings are always difficult, Shehata told the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) official website on Thursday. Our match against Zambia will largely determine how we would fare in the qualifiers. A win will …

CAIRO: Ahly Dubai midfielder Hosni Abd-Rabou has been handed a four-match suspension and a fine of 8,000 dirhams for an off-ball challenge during the UAE Cup semi-final first leg. The Egypt midfielder received a straight red card in Sunday s game, which Ahly lost 3-1 to Wehda, after he violently tackled an opposition player. Now …

CAIRO: Former Zamalek skipper Ayman Abdel-Aziz said that he hopes Mamdouh Abbas becomes the next Zamalek president. Abdel-Aziz is currently on loan at Konyaspor until the end of the season, and the player added that the recent administrative problems at Zamalek were the main reason behind his decision to return to Turkey. I m not …

CAIRO: Amr Zaki said he was unsure whether he would stay at Wigan Athletic beyond the end of the season as he believes Zamalek s “unrealistic valuation – reportedly ?12 million – of him could hamper any talks. Zamalek slapped a hefty price tag on me, the Egypt striker, who prepares to play with the …

CAIRO: The Egyptian national side had to change their Thursday training session venue from the Arab Naval Academy to Semouha Stadium. The Pharaohs Wednesday training was marred by clashes between sections of the attending fans, who took their fight to the pitch. Players and technical staff were forced to halt their session and interfere to …

CAIRO: Olympic football director Assem Zaghloul has been appointed as first team assistant coach on Tuesday, after the Alexandrian club fired most of the technical staff. Head coach Mohamed Helmi kept his position; however, the relegation-threatened side relieved his assistants Nabil Al-Dakkak and Mohamed Taha of their duties. The fired technical staff members were replaced …

CAIRO: Ahly president Hassan Hamdi approved the team s participation in a summer friendly tournament, where the Red Devils will face Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur. The tournament, which will be held in England between July 24 and 26, will also witness the participation of Scottish champions Glasgow Celtic. The decision to take part in the …

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: Eskisehirspor defender Abdel-Zaher Al-Saqqa reckons he put on his finest performance this term in his side s 1-0 win over Galatasaray in the Turkish Super League on Sunday. The Egyptian defender played the whole 90 minutes and was instrumental in helping Eskisehirspor keep a clean sheet despite their numerical disadvantage, after the dismissal of …

CAIRO: Zamalek denied on Sunday that they gave forward Gamal Hamza the green light to join Swedish side Vasalunds IF. Hamza, whose contract with Zamalek expires in the summer, revealed on Saturday that he penned a four-month contract with the second-division club. We did not agree to sell Hamza because simply we know nothing about …

WIGAN: Wigan boosted their bid for European football as Ben Watson s late goal sealed a 1-0 win against Hull on Sunday – a game where Mido squandered opportunities and Amr Zaki shined. Steve Bruce s side moved into seventh place in the Premier League thanks to Watson s fine strike at the JJB Stadium …

CAIRO: Masri have made a complaint to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) against referee Saied Abdel-Ghaffar, following the coastal side s 1-0 loss to ENPPI in the Egyptian Premier League. Abdel-Ghaffar, who facilitated Friday s game, was blamed by the Port Said side for their home defeat. Club president Ali Farag said he had called …

ZURICH: Bid teams seeking votes to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022 will not be allowed to mount expensive lobbying campaigns, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Friday. Blatter said he wanted to control costs for the 11 official candidates. They are: Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, South Korea and United States, …