Al Ahly’s acting vice-president, Khaled Mortagy, strongly defended the current foreign player policy during a tense meeting between the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and the Egyptian Football League (EFL) on Monday.
The debate flared up when Zamalek vice-president Hisham Nasr proposed reducing the number of foreign players in the league. Nasr argued that this would create more chances for Egyptian players to feature, boosting the national team’s prospects.
Mortagy firmly opposed the suggestion, pointing out that clubs like Al Ahly regularly compete in international tournaments against sides stacked with foreign talent. He argued that limiting foreign players would weaken their competitiveness.
“It’s not my fault that some don’t participate in international tournaments. Al Ahly needs to increase the number of foreign players, not decrease them,” Mortagy said.
EFA president Hani Aboureda stepped in to clarify that there would be no change in the number of foreigners allowed, though adjustments would be made for youth squads.
Mortagy also urged financial transparency, calling for full disclosure of club budgets to promote fairness in domestic competitions.
