Al Ahly board backs Houcine Ammouta and players ahead of ZED test

Al Ahly president Mahmoud El Khatib and vice-president Yassin Mansour have met the club’s coaching staff and players, with the board reaffirming its confidence in the team ahead of a demanding period of competition.

The meeting was also attended by Sayed Abdel Hafiz, the board member responsible for supervising football. El Khatib stressed that he had complete faith in every part of the team’s structure and in their ability to deliver strong results across all competitions.

He underlined the importance of the coming stage of the season and called for unity in the interests of Al Ahly’s supporters. The club’s fans, he said, represented an essential source of backing for both the coaching staff and the players.

The meeting took place after Al Ahly began their Egyptian Premier League campaign with a 3-2 win against ENPPI. It was their second consecutive victory over ENPPI, following a run of five successive matches in all competitions in which they had failed to beat their opponents.

The match was also the first in charge for Al Ahly head coach Houcine Ammouta. His side recovered after falling two goals behind and moved into the group of teams at the top of the table.

Al Ahly resumed training on Tuesday evening at the Mokhtar El-Tetsh Stadium in Gezira, having been given Monday off. The squad are preparing for their second league fixture, against ZED, on Friday.

Mansour told the players and coaching staff that the weeks ahead would present the team with several significant challenges. He said that increased the responsibility on everyone at the club to give maximum effort for Al Ahly.

He also confirmed that the board and the entire football sector would continue to support the coaching staff and players. That backing, he said, was intended to help create the right conditions for Al Ahly to compete strongly for every available trophy.

Abdel Hafiz focused on the standards expected from everyone representing the club. He emphasised the need for the squad to show the “Al Ahly character”, work collectively and remain united, while producing performances worthy of the club and its supporters.

Al Ahly will face ZED on Friday in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League. ENPPI will play at home against Wadi Degla on the same day.

The meeting comes as Al Ahly seek to build on the momentum of their opening league victory. Despite conceding twice against ENPPI, they secured the points through their recovery and began the campaign among the leading sides. The club’s management has now used the latest gathering to reinforce its confidence in Ammouta, his staff and the players before the next test.