Al-Ahly board member denies players received gifts during contract renewals

Al-Ahly board member Ahmed Hossam Awad has denied claims that players Imam Ashour, Marwan Attia and Mostafa Shobeir received financial gifts, cars or apartments during negotiations to renew their contracts.

Awad, who oversees the development of commercial rights for Al-Ahly’s football sector and sporting activities, said the club’s football company focuses on assessing players’ commercial value rather than directly handling contract negotiations.

Speaking on Al-Nahar television, he explained that club president Mahmoud El-Khatib had delegated the responsibility for leading renewal talks with the three players to Yassin Mansour and Sayed Abdel-Hafiz, although the final decision remained with him.

“No problems occurred during Al-Ahly’s negotiations to renew the contracts of Imam, Attia and Shobeir,” Awad said.

He also dismissed reports that any of the players had received additional benefits in the form of money, vehicles or apartments.

Awad further explained how Al-Ahly assesses the commercial value of its players, citing Egypt international Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet as an example of a player whose popularity generates significant revenue for the club.

He said Trezeguet’s advertising commitments, public profile and social media following had contributed to his commercial appeal.

According to Awad, the commercial value of a player can help a club recover some of the substantial sums invested in signing them.

He added that Al-Ahly sets a minimum requirement for each player to feature in at least two advertisements benefiting the club and its sponsors.

Awad also acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining equal treatment among players, arguing that contractual arrangements should reflect differences in their experience and contributions to the team.

“A player who has been with the team for 10 years should not be treated in the same way as someone who has only recently joined,” he said.

Awad also revealed that between 35% and 40% of Trezeguet’s contract value had been covered during the previous season.

He said the club’s management had reached an agreement for the player to leave, although he personally disagreed with the decision as a supporter.

“Perhaps, as a fan, I did not want the decision, but the administration always makes decisions after careful consideration,” he added.