Al-Khatib leaves Al-Ahly… serious consequences of early exit from the African Champions League

The repercussions of the Egyptian Al-Ahly’s exit from the quarter-finals of the African Champions League are still continuing. Amidst a state of public anger, the club announced on Wednesday that the Chairman of its Board of Directors, Mahmoud Al-Khatib, will step away from supervising football affairs in the coming period, while bringing about a large number of changes in the sector itself.
The club spokesman revealed to Agence France-Presse that the board of directors had canceled its authorization to Al-Khatib to manage football, with other changes expected in the future.
Al-Ahly, which holds the record for winning the African Champions League 12 times, exited the tournament in the quarter-finals by losing to Esperance of Tunisia 4-2 on aggregate, continuing its disappointing season despite the huge hopes placed on it after a strong transfer season.
But the result was an exit from the first round in the Club World Cup, an exit from the African Champions League, and a farewell to the Egypt Cup in the first round at the hands of the second division team, Telecom Egypt, while the team occupies third place in the Egyptian League, 3 points behind Zamalek and Pyramids, before the start of the second stage to determine the champion of the competition.
Al-Ahly’s Board of Directors announced in an official statement on Wednesday that Yassin Mansour, Vice President, and Sayed Abdel Hafeez, a member of the Board, were assigned to supervise football affairs, granting them all powers.
Sherif Fouad, spokesman for Al-Ahly’s board of directors, told Agence France-Presse, “The decision means canceling the authorization granted by the board of directors to its president, Mahmoud Al-Khatib, to supervise the football file, and transferring these powers to Mansour and Abdel Hafeez. Al-Khatib is a big symbol of the club, and Mansour and Abdel Hafeez can consult him, but the final decision on this file will be theirs.”
He added, “Al-Ahly’s Board of Directors appreciates the state of anger that the fans are experiencing, but we must remain calm and make decisions objectively. The changes that have occurred will not be the last, and Mansour and Abdel Hafeez have several other steps ahead of them in the coming days.”
In a related context, a source in Al-Ahly management revealed that Mansour and Abdel Hafeez held several consultations with officials within the football sector, and with the Danish coach of the first team, Yes Torop, and that the coming period will witness other decisions.
The source said, “After the planning committee and the contracting and scouting departments, it is expected that the sports director, Mohamed Youssef, will leave, and a comprehensive change will be made in the youth sector. Torop will continue until the end of the season, but he may leave with the entire technical staff after that. Abdel Hafeez will assume the duties of the sports director on a temporary basis and will be present on a daily basis with the first team until the change process is completed.”
The source revealed that Mansour and Abdel Hafeez confirmed that the door to leaving the club is open to any player who wishes to do so in the coming period, and that everyone is under evaluation until the end of the season, indicating the possibility of surprises occurring in the team’s roster.