Former Egyptian international Ahmed Hossam Mido has sparked debate after defending Al Ahly SC supporters following an incident in Cairo where water bottles were thrown at AS FAR players during their CAF Champions League match.
Mido, writing on X, described the episode as “expected” given the high tensions surrounding the first-leg clash in Morocco.
He criticized what he called the “empty idealism” of media coverage, arguing that the reaction to the fans’ behavior was exaggerated.
“In a new episode of our media’s empty idealism, they’re attacking the Al Ahly fans just because they threw water bottles at the ASFAR players, trying to turn football fans into tennis fans on their whim,” Mido wrote.
“A team whose fans insulted our players and pelted them with bottles, and the match was played in Morocco amid a terrorist atmosphere we all followed.”
Mido added: “I’m neither praising what the Al Ahly fans did nor condemning it, but what the fans did was expected, otherwise, they’d be fans who stay up till dawn waiting for Sabalenka in the US Open.”
During the Cairo match, sections of the Al Ahly crowd hurled bottles and other projectiles at ASFAR players and staff, prompting security to intervene.
AS FAR condemned the actions in a statement, describing them as a “direct threat to player safety” and calling on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to impose sanctions.
CAF confirmed on Monday that its judicial bodies are investigating the incidents, stressing that it “strongly condemns the unacceptable incidents” and has referred the matter to its Disciplinary Board.
Observers note that the sanctions could mirror those previously handed to ASFAR, who were forced to play two home matches behind closed doors after crowd trouble in the first-leg encounter.
The Cairo episode has reignited discussions on accountability and consistent enforcement of CAF regulations, with video clips of the attacks circulating widely on social media.
CAF’s forthcoming decision may set a benchmark for how fan misconduct is addressed across African football.
Meanwhile, ASFAR must shift focus back to the Champions League knockout stages, though the fallout from Cairo continues to dominate headlines and fan debate.
