Ghazl El Mahalla part company with Ahmed Khattab after poor league start

Ghazl El Mahalla have dismissed head coach Ahmed Khattab and his backroom staff after a disappointing opening to the Egyptian Premier League campaign.

The decision makes Khattab the second coach to leave his post following the early-season results, which have caused concern and frustration among the club’s supporters.

Ghazl El Mahalla confirmed the move in an official statement, saying the club’s football company board, headed by Waleed Khalil, had decided to thank Khattab and the members of his technical team for their work with the first team.

The statement said: “The board of directors of Ghazl El Mahalla Football Company, headed by Waleed Khalil, has decided to thank Ahmed Khattab, the first-team head coach, and his assistant technical staff for the period they spent with the team.”

It added: “The board appreciates the efforts made by the technical staff during their time in charge, particularly their prominent role in ensuring the team remained in the Premier League last season.”

The club also said: “The board of directors of Ghazl El Mahalla Football Company extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to Ahmed Khattab and his assistant staff, wishing them success and good fortune in their next steps.”

Khattab’s departure follows what the club described as its worst start to the league in several seasons. Ghazl El Mahalla have collected only one point from their first four matches, with that total coming from a draw against ENPPI.

They have lost their other three games under Khattab, against Pyramids FC, Modern Sport and National Bank of Egypt.

The results leave Ghazl El Mahalla at the bottom of the Egyptian Premier League table with one point after four rounds.

The club has matched its poorest start to a league season after four matches since the 2015-16 campaign. That season ended with Ghazl El Mahalla being relegated to the second tier.

The club’s worst-ever start listed in the report came in 2011-12, when it had no points after four matches. Ghazl El Mahalla had conceded 13 goals and scored only once during that sequence.

The club began last season in markedly different fashion under Alaa Abdel Aal, taking four points from four matches through four goalless draws.

Despite the difficult opening to the current campaign, the board’s statement highlighted Khattab’s contribution to last season’s survival in the top flight as a key part of his period in charge.

No replacement for Khattab was announced in the statement confirming his departure.