Wail Gomaa criticised Modern Sport’s tactics during their opening exchanges with Al Ahly, asking: “Are you threatening Al Ahly?” after his side secured a 1-0 win in the eighth round of the Egyptian Premier League on Thursday.
Al Ahly struggled to break down Modern Sport, coached by Moroccan manager Mohamed Amin Benhasham, and appeared close to dropping two points. They were saved in the closing stages when goalkeeper Mustafa Shobeir made an important penalty save.
Speaking to Al Ahly TV, Gomaa said he had been unhappy with the way Modern Sport started the match.
“I did not like the way Modern Sport’s players began the game, with all due respect to the coach and his approach,” he said.
He was particularly surprised that eight Modern Sport players stood on the halfway line when the match began, in an apparent attempt to press Al Ahly from the outset.
“It is not appropriate for Al Ahly to face a team that has eight players standing on the halfway line at kick-off, trying to press them in this way,” Gomaa added. “Are you threatening Al Ahly?”
Gomaa said Al Ahly’s players needed to watch the incident repeatedly to understand that the club should not be treated in that manner or subjected to such a warning.
He stressed that it was important for his message to reach the players, insisting that determination, fighting spirit and a strong desire to win were the defining features of Al Ahly’s performance against Modern Sport.
“Al Ahly recognises nothing other than fighting on the pitch and every player giving his maximum physical and individual ability in order to always be the best,” he said.
The former Al Ahly defender also outlined the work planned during the international break. He said the coaching staff would oversee an intensive period of preparation while ensuring that all players remained physically and technically ready through the rotation system being used by the team.
Gomaa added that Al Ahly’s ambitions this season went beyond winning the league title. The club, he said, wanted to compete for and control all available competitions.
He concluded with a warning that players who could not match those ambitions or adapt to the club’s approach would have no place in the squad.
