Jess Thorup insists Ahly future is ‘not in his hands’ after heavy Pyramids defeat

Ahly head coach Jess Thorup has said his future at the club is beyond his control following Monday’s 3-0 defeat to Pyramids FC, a result that dealt a serious blow to the defending champions’ title ambitions.

The Danish manager apologised to supporters after the match and acknowledged their disappointment, but made clear he has no intention of stepping down, stressing that any decision regarding his position rests solely with the club hierarchy.

“I congratulate our opponents on the win. It’s strange to lose 3-0 — for 45 minutes there were no real chances on goal. We gave them opportunities from two mistakes after the 70th minute,” Thorup said.

He also defended his team’s response after falling behind and questioned a key refereeing decision that ruled out what he believed was a legitimate equaliser.

“Our reaction after conceding was good. I’ve watched the disallowed goal more than 10 times and I don’t see offside, but that’s football,” he added.

Thorup pointed to wastefulness in front of goal as a recurring problem, contrasting his side’s inefficiency with Pyramids’ clinical finishing.

“They have a striker who scored two goals from two chances. We create opportunities but don’t convert them,” he said.

Asked directly about his future, Thorup reaffirmed his commitment to the project while distancing himself from any resignation talk.

“I sincerely apologise to the fans. I understand their frustration, but I don’t give up — and the decision about my future is not mine,” he stated.

He added that it was too early to judge the long-term direction of his tenure, despite the likelihood of missing out on both the league title and continental success.

“I came here with a long-term project — to develop players and build over several transfer windows. Talking about the future now isn’t appropriate,” he said.

Looking ahead to Friday’s Cairo derby against Zamalek, Thorup admitted the defeat could have a psychological impact on the squad.

“This loss will affect us before the big match. A win would have made it a title-deciding game. We need to regroup and manage our emotions,” he noted.

He concluded by stressing that results in the remaining fixtures will define their season.

“Winning the title depends on winning our matches. We had chances at 0-0 and could have changed the game,” he said.

The defeat marked Pyramids FC’s first league double over Ahly in a single season since 2018–19, and their biggest-ever victory over the Cairo giants.