Mahmoud Al-Khatib, president of Al-Ahly of Egypt, sent 10 strong messages to the club’s fans, in light of the crisis that the football team is experiencing in the recent period.
Al Ahly He is close to losing the Egyptian League title for the second consecutive season, days following losing the 2021 Egypt Cup, and before that defeat in the 2022 African Champions League final.
Mahmoud Al-Khatib appeared in a video speech on Al-Ahly channel, which extended for an hour, the bulk of which was devoted to talking regarding the football team.
acknowledgment of negligence
Al-Khatib began his messages, acknowledging the existence of a shortcoming, saying, “It is our duty to acknowledge the shortcoming, and hurry to fix it. Those who work hard make mistakes. This is not a defect. Rather, the defect is to continue in error.”
He added, “It is not a shame to admit failure. We know the shortcomings and are working to address them, but we can only do that with the support and support of Al-Ahly fans.”
Al-Ahly’s achievements
On the other hand, Mahmoud Al-Khatib spoke regarding Al-Ahly’s achievements in the past few years, saying: “When we took charge, we worked to support the team to win the African Champions League following an absence of 7 years.”
And he added, “Al-Ahly qualified for the CAF Champions League final 5 times in 6 years, which no European team has done, and it has also succeeded in winning 12 titles in the last 4 years.”
CAF Champions League loss
On the other hand, Al-Khatib talked regarding losing the final of the CAF Champions League 2022 once morest Moroccan Wydad, in the match that was held at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Al-Khatib said: “Everyone knows the way we lost the final, to which some elements from inside Egypt contributed, as the match was held at Wydad Stadium, which is unfair.”
Reasons for the decline of Al-Ahly
On the other hand, Mahmoud Al-Khatib revealed the reasons for the decline in Al-Ahly’s results in the recent period, pointing to the mental saturation of the players following winning the African Champions League title twice in a row.
He explained: “We won two titles, and other championships were lost due to certain circumstances, everyone knows them. We have achieved what no world team has achieved in the last 4 years, and there are those who are working to demolish this team, we must pay attention.”
He continued, “By virtue of my experience and history, the team has reached the top of the football pyramid, competed in a world championship, and qualified for the African final 5 times in the last 6 years, so the players’ sense of competing at a lower level in local championships varies mentally.”
And he added: “We were affected by the cohesion of 3 seasons, a record number of Al-Ahly players’ matches, the number of travel hours and very long trips, whether with the club or the national teams.”
He continued: “The team was exhausted, and the match schedule was compressed,” asking: “Did they punish Al-Ahly because it is a champion and qualifies for the African final?”
And he concluded: “As a result of all these factors, there are many injuries, especially the elements of experience in the team.”
Complaint regarding arbitration
Mahmoud Al-Khatib made explicit accusations, to justify the crisis of the decline in Al-Ahly’s results, saying: “There are external factors that aim to frustrate the players, including, for example, arbitration from last season, there is a big question mark on him.”
He stressed: “I do not mean that arbitration is the only reason, but there are all crude mistakes once morest Al-Ahly in exchange for compliments in other directions, all we want is justice only.”
He revealed: “We sent from 15 to 20 letters to complain regarding arbitration errors, and no one responded, and we spoke with officials of the Football Association and the League.”
Mosimane’s departure
Mahmoud Al-Khatib moved to talk regarding the former coach, Pitso Mosimane, who left the team last June, following 20 months at the helm of the technical leadership.
Al-Khatib said: “Mosimane has made great achievements, but he was subjected to a systematic campaign.”
He added, “We explained all the previous difficulties to Musimani following his return from Morocco, and inquired of him regarding the support needed at a crucial period in the life of the competition.”
Mahmoud Al-Khatib concluded: “Mosimane surprised us that he was no longer able to continue, for health and psychological reasons, and following 24 hours, he insisted on his position, and apologized.”
