Al Ahly have told manager Hussein Ammouta that he will not be judged on the Egypt Capital Cup, according to former Al Ahly and Egypt goalkeeper Ahmed Shobier, with the club instead prioritising the CAF Confederation Cup, the Egyptian Premier League and the Egypt Cup.
The message comes just days before Al Ahly face Zamalek in the eagerly anticipated league meeting, while the Egyptian refereeing committee continues to decide which officials will take charge of the match.
Shobier said Al Ahly’s board had made clear that the Egypt Capital Cup was intended primarily to give substitutes and younger players valuable playing time, rather than serve as a measure of Ammouta’s performance.
“Al Ahly told Ammouta: ‘You will not be held accountable at all for the Egypt Capital Cup. It is a tournament in which you will prepare the substitutes and give the youngsters an opportunity. Our important competitions for you now are the Confederation Cup, the league and the Egypt Cup, until we know our position regarding the Super Cup,’” Shobier wrote on X.
The Al Ahly-Zamalek match is scheduled for next Sunday at Cairo Stadium and will be played as part of the sixth round of the Egyptian Premier League.
However, a meeting to discuss the refereeing team has been postponed after former referee Essam Abdel Fattah was involved in what Shobier described as a serious accident.
“I asked about the refereeing team for the derby and was told that Essam Abdel Fattah had been involved in a very serious accident, and thankfully survived it,” Shobier said. “He was in Ismailia, so the meeting was postponed.”
Shobier added that a leading referee from outside Europe’s five major leagues was among the candidates to officiate the fixture. He also said the refereeing committee had received responses from two associations representing leagues within the top five.
“What I have learned is that a major referee from outside the five major leagues is a candidate,” Shobier said. “The refereeing committee has received replies from two associations in the five major leagues. They will discuss the matter and announce the refereeing team for the derby today, or most likely tomorrow.”