Al Ahly’s football committee reviews coach Jess Thorup’s holiday and winter transfer plans

Al Ahly’s football committee has postponed its planned meeting with Danish coach Jess Thorup to next week, delaying final decisions on the club’s winter transfer business.

Thorup requested a short break to visit his family in Denmark after granting his players five days off during the international pause, and he and his staff flew out as soon as the team returned to Cairo from Morocco. The squad had just landed back following the 1-1 draw against ASFAR in the CAF Champions League group stage.

The coaching staff allowed Achraf Bencharki, Achraf Dari and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane to remain in Morocco for the duration of the break before training resumes for the 11 December clash with ENPPI in the first round of the Egypt Capital Cup.

Inside the club, that game is viewed as the start of a crucial domestic phase after a turbulent trip to Rabat that saw tempers flare and play halted for several minutes when Libyan referee Ahmed Al Shamlani disallowed a goal for ASFAR, prompting a confrontation between players and a security intervention. Al Ahly players also complained of sharp objects and bottles being thrown from the stands.

So far, the board has not officially decided whether to file a complaint to CAF about the incidents. A club source told Kooora that president Mahmoud El Khatib, who is currently on a private break in Hurghada, has been following the situation closely by phone.

“El Khatib contacted head of delegation Tarek Kandil, board member and club legend Sayed Abdel Hafiz, and director of football Walid Salah El Din to hear their views on what happened and on Thorup’s stance,” the source said.

The same source indicated that El Khatib is waiting to review all video footage before making a decision in the coming hours on whether Al Ahly will escalate the matter or settle for internal documentation.