CAIRO: Telecom Egypt boss Hossam Hassan believes that FIFA will act against the relegation of any team in the Egyptian Premier League this season because of the illegitimate number of petroleum clubs. Hassan, whose side are serious favorites for relegation alongside Tersana and Olympic, is adamant that the Egyptian Football Association won t be able …

Ghazl Mahalla have sacked coach Khaled Eid and appointed Sherif Al-Khashab as his successor after a string of poor results, the club announced on Saturday. We had no choice but to relieve Eid of his duties, especially after the 2-0 defeat to Arab Contractors, Mahalla sporting director Mohamed Helal told FilGoal.com. Al-Khashab will be assisted …

CAIRO: Arab Contractors Stadium will host Zamalek s remaining home games in the Egyptian Premier League, excluding the Cairo derby with Ahly, the White Knights said on Sunday. Zamalek s official site confirmed that the upcoming home games with Petrojet and Asyut Petroleum will be played at Green Mountain as Cairo Stadium will be closed …

Zamalek forward Gamal Hamza has on Saturday completed his move to Swedish side Vasalunds IF on a short-term deal. Hamza penned a four-month contract at the second-division club after taking part in a friendly game. Vasalunds coach was pleased with my display during the friendly, the 27-year-old told FilGoal.com. Hamza, who came through Zamalek s …

CAIRO: The Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek has been postponed to April 23, the Egyptian Football Association announced on Saturday. The match was delayed due to Ahly s African commitments, Nayef Ezzat, head of the EFA competitions committee, told FilGoal.com. Ahly visit Tanzania s Young Africans on April fifth in the second-leg of the …

Whether winning one or staging one, a World Cup is not easy to come by. Since only seven countries have ever won the World Cup – Egypt not among them – and since Egypt has qualified for the World Cup only twice, it is safe to assume we will never capture the most coveted trophy …

CAIRO: Zamalek coach Michel Decastel has dropped Junior Agogo for Friday s Egyptian Premier League game against Olympic in Alexandria. The Ghanaian striker, whose dispute with Zamalek s board has been apparently resolved, last featured in the team s squad in the goalless draw with Tersana last month. He missed the Cairo giants league matches …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri fined striker Ahmed Hassan Farag after the player protested against his exclusion from the Ittihad game. The Red Devils will face Ittihad in the league later on Thursday, and Farag was angered upon hearing that the technical staff did not name him for the game. Since moving to Ahly …

CAIRO: Egypt assistant coach Shawky Gharib said that Zambia and Rwanda have the ability to jeopardize the Pharaohs chances of securing a 2010 World Cup spot. Egypt is drawn against Algeria, Zambia and Rwanda in the qualifiers final phase group, and Gharib is convinced that teams with nothing to lose will pose the biggest threat. …

CAIRO: Zamalek outcast Junior Agogo was on target for the White Knights U-20 team, who drew 2-2 with Telecom Egypt on Monday. The Ghanaian scored a first-half penalty before youngster Hossam Gamal doubled Zamalek s lead. But Telecom managed to level the score in the last 15 minutes. Agogo had his fair share of problems …

CAIRO: Ahly have signed Nigerian striker Kofi Abbey following his impressive trial period, the club announced on Tuesday. The club s football committee has approved the transfer, Ahly said on their website. The 21-year-old will pen a four-year contract and is set to start his Ahly adventure when the transfer window opens in the summer. …

CAIRO: Ahly defender Emad Al-Nahhas could end his lengthy lay-off after a month and a half. The 33-year-old has been sidelined since a previous knee injury reoccurred in January, and he s currently undergoing an intensive recovery program in Portugal. I started jogging a couple of days ago. Now I need 30 or 45 days …

CAIRO: Zamalek are seriously considering taking part in next season s Arab Champions League, chairman Mohamed Amer said. The Cairo club, who is currently seventh in the Egyptian league, is unlikely to secure a place in either the CAF Champions League or the Confederation Cup. Speaking to the club s official site, Zamalek interim chairman …

CAIRO: Zambia coach Herve Renard said that it will be very difficult for his team to beat Egypt when the two teams meet on March 29 in Cairo. The Chipolopolo were drawn alongside Egypt, Algeria and Rwanda in the second phase of the African World Cup qualification Group C. Big teams like Cameroon and Nigeria …

LONDON: Squash can broaden the range of nations who could win Olympic medals if it succeeds in getting into the 2016 Games, according to one of its all-time greats, Peter Nicol. The indoor racquet sport is well represented in developing parts of the world, in Asia and amongst Muslim women. Nicol, a Scot who is …

CAIRO: Egypt boss Hassan Shehata revealed that he s planning to name a squad for the forthcoming 2010 World Cup qualifier against Zambia. The former Zamalek star has already recalled seven abroad-based players for the eagerly-anticipated game, which takes place on March 29. I decided to name all the international players, even those who are …

CAIRO: After 99 single matches and over 240 sets, Russia’s Galina Fokina emerged as the winner of the Palm Hills International Ladies Tournament after the finals on Saturday at the Palm Club in 6th of October City. With over 100 players from more than 20 countries, it broke attendance records for locally organized international tournaments …

CAIRO: Ittihad defender Youssef Abdel-Rahim revealed that he had signed a two-season contract extension on Sunday. The 26-year-old put his signature to a blank contract, and the Alexandrian club ought to fill in the amount afterwards. The extension fee hasn t been determined yet, and the board members should announce it in the near future, …

CAIRO: Ahmed Hassan said on Sunday he was not concerned at being frequently substituted by Ahly coach Manuel Jose as long as fans applaud him. I perform well and the fans applaud me and chant my name, so I have no problems, he told Ahly TV following the team s 3-0 Champions League victory over …

CAIRO: Al-Ahly were quick off the mark in defense of the African Champions League title with a 45-second goal setting up a 3-0 win over Young Africans of Tanzania in Cairo Sunday. Midfielder Mohamed Barakat was the scorer and also claimed the third while Angolan Flavio Amado got the other goal as the Cairo Red …

CAIRO: Essam Al-Hadari s Sion suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Basel in the Swiss Super League on Saturday to drop into the relegation zone. Egypt keeper Al-Hadari conceded the first goal four minutes before the break as Jurgen Gjasula put the visitors ahead. Scott Chipperfield doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime and …

CAIRO: Petrojet coach Mokhtar Mokhtar was fuming after learning that his side s league match against Asyut Petroleum wasn’t aired on TV, according to the club s administrative manager. Mokhtar didn t understand why the match wasn t televised, Mostafa Hendawi told FilGoal.com on Saturday. Petrojet are among the league s top four so they …

CAIRO: Zamalek goalkeeper Abdel-Wahed Al-Sayed said he hopes to see club mate Mohamed Abdel-Monsef returning to the national team in the near future. Al-Sayed took over from Abdel-Monsef as Zamalek number one this season, but the former paid tribute to his goalkeeping rival, who has recently lost his place in the Egypt roster. Zamalek captain …

CAIRO: Zamalek assistant coach Sami Al-Sheshini is relieved that his strikers began to rediscover their scoring touch. Sherif Ashraf scored twice and his strike partner Abdel-Halim Ali was also on the score sheet as Zamalek defeated Gaish 4-2 in the Egyptian Premier League on Saturday. Finally, Zamalek frontmen managed to find the net, Al-Sheshini told …

CAIRO: Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib revealed that Hossam Ghaly was not selected for the World Cup qualifier with Zambia in order to help him settle in with Nasr. Ghaly, alongside Ahmed Abou-Mosallam and Abdel-Zaher Al-Saqqa, had no place in a seven-man list of foreign-based Egyptians for this month s qualifier. However, Gharib stressed that …

Never had Egypt been there before, but there we were, in 15th place in the FIFA world rankings. That was just three months ago. Then we beat Kenya 1-0 in a friendly and. we dropped to spot No 30. After that, we defeated Ghana in another friendly and our reward? We slipped another rung. At …

Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce believes that one goal would be enough for Amr Zaki to rediscover his goal-scoring form. The Egyptian international took the Premiership by storm earlier in the season, scoring ten goals for Wigan since joining the club on loan move from Zamalek in the summer. However, all Zaki s goals came …

Egyptian midfielder Hosni Abd-Rabou said on Thursday that he sometimes loses his temper because referees provoke him. Abd-Rabou, who plays for Dubai-based club Ahli on loan from Ismaili, is often criticized for his impulsive demeanor on the pitch. The talented schemer usually picks up unnecessary yellow cards that tarnish his reputation. But he believes that …

CAIRO: The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) called on Ismaili to hold their Egyptian Premier League match with Masri behind closed doors for safety and security reasons. The Dervishes hosts the Port Said side on Friday, and some EFA officials are worried that both teams fans could wreak havoc during the game. The refurbishments of Ismailia …

CAIRO: Egypt coach Hassan Shehata said September would be the best timing to face Rwanda in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Egypt was left in a critical situation regarding the Group C fixture, which was originally scheduled for June 10. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) received a notification from its Algerian counterpart on Sunday, setting …