Ahmed Ramadan says Torob admitted he was treated unfairly at Al Ahly

Ahmed Ramadan believes he should have been given more opportunities during his time at Al Ahly, claiming head coach Torob told him he was being treated unfairly despite performing well whenever he played.

The Ceramica Cleopatra defender returned to the club at the start of the current season after completing his loan spell with Al Ahly. Speaking to On Sport, Ramadan said he had been unable to establish himself during his time with the Egyptian giants.

“Luck was absent throughout my time at Al Ahly, and I do not know exactly why,” he said. “I feel the issue had little to do with football.”

Ramadan recalled a conversation with Torob after Al Ahly’s match against Ceramica Cleopatra in the semi-final of the Super Cup. He said the coach had praised his performances but also acknowledged that he had not been treated fairly.

“After that match, Torob sat down with me and told me that I looked good whenever I played and that I was being wronged,” Ramadan said.

“But he asked me to continue working hard in training. I wanted to ask him why I was not playing, but I thought about what he had said and felt there was something I did not understand.”

The defender also described Torob positively away from tactical matters, saying the coach’s personality made it difficult for him to raise the issue of his selection.

“Torob was a wonderful person, personally speaking, away from the technical side,” Ramadan added. “That was an obstacle which stopped me from discussing playing and not playing with him.”

Asked to compare Ali Maher with Pitso Mosimane, Ramadan strongly favoured his former coach at Ceramica Cleopatra.

“Ali Maher is much better,” he said. “He is a capable coach, and his most important quality is that he knows how to motivate the Egyptian player. He brings out the best in a player after that player has reached what he believes is his highest level.

“The only foreign coach I have worked with who can be compared with him is Takis Gonias.”

Ramadan was developed in Al Ahly’s youth system before leaving for Wadi Degla. He returned to Al Ahly in 2020, then moved to Ceramica Cleopatra two years later, before joining Al Ahly again on loan for the previous season.

If Al Ahly were to ask him to return for a fourth spell, Ramadan said he would consider the proposal carefully because he remains under contract with Ceramica Cleopatra.

“I am contracted to Ceramica and would study the offer properly,” he said. “But, in any case, no player can refuse Al Ahly.”

During the previous season, Ramadan made 20 appearances for Al Ahly: nine in the league, four in the League Cup, two in the Super Cup, two in the Club World Cup and three in the CAF Champions League.