Al Ahly have begun the process of finding a new chief executive officer following the departure of Dr Saad Shalaby, with the Egyptian club also considering further changes to its administrative structure before the end of the year.
The club’s board, led by Mahmoud El-Khatib, has started procedures to identify Shalaby’s successor in line with the regulations contained in Al Ahly’s 2018 bylaws.
A source told WinWin in an exclusive statement that “Al-Ahly’s board of directors, headed by Mahmoud El-Khatib , has already begun taking steps to select a new executive director for the club to succeed Saad Shalaby, in accordance with the procedures and regulations included in the club’s bylaws for 2018.”
The board has established a senior committee to supervise the selection process. Its responsibilities will include examining applications submitted by candidates, assessing them against the required criteria and ranking the applicants before presenting the findings to the board.
The final decision on who will become the club’s next executive director will remain with the board of directors.
The committee is headed by Al Ahly vice-president Yassin Mansour. He will work alongside treasurer Khaled Mortagy and board members Tarek Kandil and Mohamed El-Ghazawy.
The club wants the process to be completed within three months of Shalaby’s departure. That timetable is intended to give officials sufficient time to review the candidates’ files and determine who is best suited to lead the club’s executive administration during the next phase.
Wider changes under consideration
The search for a new CEO is not expected to be the only administrative development at Al Ahly.
The club is also reviewing the position of financial director as part of a broader assessment of its administrative structure.
The source said: “The expected changes within Al-Ahly are not limited to the position of CEO only; sources revealed that there is a trend to make a change in the position of financial director, as part of the process of rearranging the administrative structure of the club.”
Officials are also assessing a number of other senior administrative positions.
A review is currently being carried out involving headquarters and branch managers, as well as officials responsible for security and the subscription sector.
The purpose of the evaluation is to assess how those departments have performed during the previous period and determine what Al Ahly will require from its administrative structure going forward.
The source said: “A comprehensive evaluation process is currently underway for the positions of headquarters and branch managers, along with security and subscription sector officials, to assess performance levels during the past period and identify the needs of the next phase.”
However, the review should not automatically be interpreted as confirmation that all of the positions under examination will change hands.
Instead, the assessment is intended to provide the club’s leadership with a wider picture of the current administrative structure. It will allow the board to decide which officials should remain in their posts and where changes or restructuring may be necessary.
Timing of appointments
The appointments to the two most prominent positions under review will follow a specific timetable.
According to the source, the new CEO and CFO will be appointed after Al Ahly’s Ordinary General Assembly.
The remaining administrative changes are expected to be implemented on 30 December, shortly before the beginning of the New Year.
The developments mark a significant period of administrative review for Al Ahly following Shalaby’s departure.
The immediate priority is to identify a new executive director, with the committee led by Mansour tasked with examining the available candidates before submitting its recommendations to the board.
At the same time, the club is assessing its financial leadership and reviewing several other administrative departments.
The process therefore extends beyond simply replacing Shalaby. It forms part of a wider effort by Al Ahly’s board to evaluate its administrative structure, assess performance and determine the personnel needed for the next stage.
