Al-Ahly S.C.

Al-Ahly S.C.
Full name Al-Ahly Sports Club
النادي الأهلي للرياضة البدنية
Nickname(s) Red Devils
Club of the Century
Founded 24 April 1907
Ground Cairo Stadium
(Capacity: 75,000)
Chairman Hassan Hamdy
Manager Manuel José
League Egyptian Premier League
2010–11 Egyptian Premier League, 1st
Website Club home page
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours
Current season

Al-Ahly Sports Club (Arabic: النادي الأهلي الرياضي‎), commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century". Al-Ahly claim to have more than 50 million fans in Egypt[1], a country with an overall population of approximately 80 million,[2] including the Ultras Ahlawy.

Al-Ahly is the most successful football club in Africa, closely followed by their rivals Zamalek SC and TP Mazembe from DR Congo.

Contents

History

Al-Ahly was founded in 1907 as a club where leaders of Cairo's students' unions could meet during the struggle against colonisation.[3]

On 25 February 1907, Amine Samy chose the name 'Ahly' for the newly founded club to fit with its purpose. It started out as an Egyptian Limited Liability Company with a capital of 5000 EGP. The club's first chairman was an English man named Mitchell Ince, who facilitated the foundation of the club and issued planning permissions for the land it owned. In the year 1922, electricity was connected to the club's headquarters for the first time to replace gasoline in a major project that cost 52 EGP at the time.

Three years later, the club's congress decided to make membership exclusive to Egyptians, earning them the title of the 'the people's club'. From these humble origins, Al Ahly have attracted a large number of followers all over Africa, and claim to have over 50 million supporters, making them one of the most popular clubs in the world.

The club also has a reputation for being one of the most organised and sophisticated in the Middle East, adopting a high moral stance in its business dealings. For this reason it is known as 'the club of values' - a phrase initially coined by the club's all-time idol and former president Saleh Selim.[4]

Al-Ahly began to dominate the Egyptian game in the 1940s. In the 1980s the club became successful on a continental level, winning the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1982 and 1987. They triumphed again in the renamed competition in 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2008[5] under the coaching of the Portuguese Manuel José making them the most crowned team in Africa, with six Champions League titles, four Cup-Winners' Cups, four Super Cups and one Afro-Asian Club Championship.

Al Ahly was the first club to reach the FIFA Club World Cup twice following two consecutive appearances in 2005 and 2006 winning the Bronze Medal in the latter, becoming the first African club to win a medal in the competition. After qualifying for the 2008 edition, Al Ahly became the team with the most appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup, having qualified for 3 times out of 6 competitions held.

Crest

Al Ahly has had three crests in its history. The first, adopted in 1907, lasted until the 1952 Revolution. The second crest was used from 1952 until 2007, when the club unveiled a new design to commemorate Al Ahly's first century of existence. The club's main colours, red , white as well as the flying eagle are derived from Egypt's flag during the Khedives era.

Colours

Al Ahly's home kit, since the club's founding, has always been the familiar red shirt with white shorts. The team's away kit is the dark blue shirt with dark blue shorts, although the team formerly played with white shorts in the away kit. The old away kit used until the 90s was a green shirt with white shorts and green socks. In 2008, Al Ahly unveiled their third kit for the first time since the club's founding. It was first used in a match against bitter rivals Zamalek SC. The kit is composed of Ahly's home shirt and black shorts. It is still currently in use as a third kit and is still worn by the team in all Al-Ahly versus Zamalek Derbies. This is due to the fact that Zamalek SC wears a white home kit, with two red stripes on the shirt. If Al-Ahly wore their home kit in the derby matches, there would be only a small difference in the shirt colour and no difference in the shorts' colour.

Season Kit providers Sponsors
1993/94-1999/00 Adidas Coca-Cola
2000/01 Nike
2001/02 Vodafone
2002/03-2008/09 Puma
2009/10-2010/2011 Adidas
2011–Present Etisalat Egypt

Stadiums

Al Ahly formerly played their home games at their own ground, Mokhtar El-Tetsh Stadium, but its capacity was too small for the club's support. As a consequence, Al-Ahly now play their home ties at the Cairo International Stadium.[3] Before seats were added to all sections in 2005, the stadium was notorious for holding more people than it was intended to. Cairo Stadium has a record of hosting over 120,000 fans in Egypt versus Cameroon match in 1986.[6]

Presidents

Name From To
Mitchel Ince[7] April 1907 April 1908
Aziz Pasha Ezzat April 1908 February 1916
Abdel Khaliq Sarwat Pasha February 1916 February 1922
/ Jaafar Pasha Wali February 1922 January 1944
Ahmed Pasha Hasanain January 1944 February 1947
// Ahmed Pasha Abboud February 1947 December 1961
Salah Al-Desoky December 1962 December 1965
Colonel General Abd El-Mohsen Mortagy December 1965 July 1967
Dr. Ibrahim Kamel El-Wakeel July 1967 July 1971
/ Colonel General Abd El-Mohsen Mortagy July 1971 December 1980
/ Saleh Selim December 1980 December 1988
Mohamed Abdou Saleh El-Wahsh December 1988 February 1992
Saleh Selim February 1992 May 2002
Hassan Hamdy May 2002 Present

Ultras Fan Groups

Al-Ahly had the first Ultras Fan Group in Egypt the Ahly Fans Club (AFC) the group disbanded in 2007 into two big ultras groups, Ultras Ahlawy (UA07) and Ultras Devils (UD07). Ultras Ahlawy (based in Cairo) is the largest fan group in Egypt. while, Ultras Devils are based in Alexandria and having members from other coastal cities near Alexandria. In the following years other Fan Groups were formed as Curva Red Venom Then Al-Ahly fans made a great step forward by forming an Ultras Fan Group in the 2nd class seats called Ultras Red Storm however the group was the smallest of them. Despite having several fan groups. All of them cheer together in the matches and have the same part of the stadium called TALTA CHIMAL or Curva Nord section.

Perfect Season

2005 represented an especially unique season in Ahly's illustrious history. The team would go on to set an unprecedented record of going an entire season being unbeaten in all possible competitions. 46 matches were played in the: Egyptian Premier League, Egyptian Cup, Egyptian Super Cup and CAF Champions League, with Ahly remaining unbeaten in all of them (as well as winning all 4 trophies). This feat has yet to be emulated.

Honours

Total number of cups: 122. [8]

Worldwide / Intercontinental

African

Domestic

League

Cup

Competitive record

African Club Competitions

African Club Competitions
Year CAF Champions League African Cup Winners' Cup CAF Super Cup
1964–74 Did not enter Did not enter Started in
1993
1976 Second round Did not enter
1977 Quarter-Finals Did not enter
1978 Withdraw after qualify Did not enter
1979 Did not enter Did not enter
1980 Did not enter Did not enter
1981 Withdraw from Semi-Finals Did not enter
1982 Winner Did not enter
1983 Runner-up Did not enter
1984 Did not enter Winner
1985 Did not enter' Winner
1986 Did not enter Winner
1987 Winner Did not enter
1988 Semi-Finals Did not enter
1989 - -
1990 Did not enter Second Round
1991 Quarter-Finals Did not enter
1992 Did not enter Quarter-Finals
1993 Did not enter Winner Runner-up
1994 Did not enter Did not enter Did not enter
1995 Did not enter Did not enter Did not enter
1996 Did not enter Did not enter Did not enter
1997 Did not enter Did not enter Did not enter
1998 First round Did not enter Did not enter
1999 Group Phase Runners-up Did not enter Did not enter
2000 Group Phase Runners-up Did not enter Did not enter
2001 Winner Did not enter Did not enter
2002 Group stage Did not enter Winner
2003 Did not enter Quarter-Finals Did not enter
2004 Second round Stopped in
2003
Did not enter
2005 Winner Did not enter
2006 Winner Winner
2007 Runner-up Winner
2008 Winner Did not enter
2009 Second round Winner
2010 Semi-Finals Did not enter
2011 Group stage Did not enter

Domestic Competitions

Egyptian Clubs Competitions
Year Premier League Egypt Cup Super Cup
1921–22 Started in
1948
- Started in
2001
1922–23 -
1923–24 Winner
1924–25 Winner
1925–26 Runner-up
1926–27 Winner
1927–28 Winner
1928–29 -
1929–30 Winner
1930–31 Winner
1931–32 -
1932–33 -
1933–34 -
1934–35 Runner-up
1935–36 -
1936–37 Winner
1937–38 -
1938–39 -
1939–40 Winner
1940–41 Runner-up
1941–42 Winner
1942–43 Winner
1943–44 Runner-up
1944–45 Winner
1945–46 Winner
1946–47 Winner
1947–48 -
1948–49 Winner Winner
1949–50 Winner Winner
1950–51 Winner Winner
1951–52 not held Runner-up
1952–53 Winner Winner
1953–54 Winner -
1954–55 not finished -
1955–56 Winner Winner
1956–57 Winner -
1957–58 Winner Winner
1958–59 Winner Runner-up
1959–60 Third place Winner
1960–61 Winner -
1961–62 Winner -
1962–63 Third place -
1963–64 Group Fifth -
1964–65 Fourth place -
1965–66 Sixth place Winner
1966–67 Runner-up -
1968–69 not held not held
1969–70 not held not held
1970–71 not finished not held
1971–72 not held not held
1972–73 Fourth place Runner-up
1973–74 not finished not finished
1974–75 Winner -
1975–76 Winner Runner-up
1976–77 Winner -
1977–78 Runner-up Winner
1978–79 Winner -
1979–80 Winner not held
1980–81 Winner Winner
1981–82 Winner not held
1982–83 Third place Winner
1983–84 Runner-up Winner
1984–85 Winner Winner
1985–86 Winner -
1986–87 Winner not held
1987–88 Runner-up -
1988–89 Winner Winner
1989–90 not finished -
1990–91 Runner-up Winner
1991–92 Fourth place Winner
1992–93 Runner-up Winner
1993–94 Winner not held
1994–95 Winner -
1995–96 Winner Winner
1996–97 Winner Runner-up
1997–98 Winner Semifinal
1998–99 Winner Round of 32
1999–00 Winner Semifinal
2000–01 Runner-up Winner
2001–02 Runner-up Round of 16 Withdrew
2002–03 Runner-up Winner Winner
2003–04 Runner-up Runner-up Did not enter
2004–05 Winner Round of 16 Winner
2005–06 Winner Winner Winner
2006–07 Winner Winner Winner
2007–08 Winner Round of 32 Winner
2008–09 Winner Round of 16 Runner-up
2009–10 Winner Runner-up Winner
2010–11 Winner Round of 16 Withdrew
2011-12 Withdrew

CAF Overall Ranking of African Clubs

Current ranking

CAF Club Points
1 Al-Ahly 81
2 Étoile du Sahel 50
3 Zamalek 47
4 Asante Kotoko 44
5 ASEC Mimosas 42
6 Espérance 42
7 Canon Yaoundé 36
8 JS Kabylie 35
9 Hearts of Oak 31
10 Africa Sports 30

Ranking of the Century

ACUC Club Points
1 Al Ahly 40
2 Zamalek 37
3 Asante Kotoko 34
4 Canon Yaoundé 34
5 Espérance Tunis 27
6 ASEC Mimosas 27
7 Hearts of Oak 26
8 Africa Sports 25
9 JS Kabylie 20
10 Englebert 19

Players and coaching staff

Current first team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Sherif Ekramy
5 DF Ahmad El-Sayed
6 DF Wael Gomaa (Vice-captain)
7 FW Mohamed Fadl
8 MF Mohamed Barakat
9 FW Emad Moteab
10 MF Moataz Eno
11 MF Walid Soliman
12 DF Ahmad Shedid Qinawi
13 GK Ahmed Adel Abd El-Moneam
14 MF Hossam Ghaly (Captain)
15 FW Mohamed Nagy "Geddo"
16 GK Mahmoud Abou El-Saoud
17 MF Sayed Moawad
No. Position Player
18 FW Al-Sayed Hamdy
19 FW Abdallah Said
20 MF Mohamed Shawky
21 FW Fábio Junior
22 MF Mohamed Aboutrika
23 DF Mohamed Nagieb
24 MF Ahmed Fathy
25 MF Hossam Ashour
26 FW Dominique Da Silva
30 MF Shehab El-Din Ahmed
34 DF Mohamed Abdel Fattah
35 MF Ramy Rabia
38 MF Amr Warda
39 DF Ayman Ashraf

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
- DF Mohamed Samir (at Smouha)
- DF Saad Samir (at Al Masry)
- DF Ahmed Ali (at Ittihad El-Shorta)
- MF Ahmed Shoukry (at Telephonat Bani Sweif)
- MF Hussein El-Sayed (at Misr El Makasa)
- MF Mahmoud Tobah (at Al Masry)
No. Position Player
- MF Mostafa Afroto (at Al Ittihad)
- MF Hesham Mohamed (at Ittihad El-Shorta)
- MF Amir Sayoud (at Ismaily)
- FW Mohamed Talaat (at Ittihad)
- FW Abdul Hameid Shabana (at Telephonat Bani Sweif)

Youth academy squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
GK Mohamed Mokhtar
DF Adel Bekhit
DF Ahmed Said "Mido"
DF Mohamed Abo Saif
DF El-Sayed El-Araby
DF Ahmed El-Esh
DF Abdullah Abdul-Azim
MF Ahmed Mamdouh "Toota"
MF Ahmed Abdel-Aziz
MF Mohamed El-Sayed
MF Reda Shehata
MF Abdel-Rahman Ahmed
MF Mahmoud Mohamed
MF Ahmed Nasser
No. Position Player
MF Salah El-Din Farouk
MF Osama Abdel-Mageed
MF Mohamed Gamal
FW Reda Bekhit
FW Mahran Megahed
FW Marwan Hesham
FW Alaa Shaaban
FW Islam Abdel-Latif
FW Abdel-Rahman Ahmed
FW Ahmed Mamdouh Mabrouk
FW Mohamed Mostafa Zidan
FW Ahmed Nabil "Manga"
FW Islam Magdy

Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 DF Mohamed Abdelwahab (posthumous honour)

Since 2006, Al Ahly have not issued the squad number 3. It was retired in memory of Mohamed Abdelwahab, who died of a heart attack while he was in a training with Al-Ahly in Cairo and since then no one wore the number three.

Coaching staff

Position Staff
Manager Manuel José
Football Director Sayed Abdel Hafeez
General Coach Pedro Barny
Assistant Coach Mohamed Youssef
Goalkeepers Coach Ahmed Nagy
Fitness, Strength & Conditioning Coach Fidalgo
Performance Analyzer Oscar Elizondo
Administrative Director Emad El-Yamani
Club Doctor Dr. Ehab Ali
Doctor Dr. Tarek Abdel-Aziz
Dietitian Dr. Hany Wahba
Masseur Attia Bassiuny
Masseur Sameh Mohamed
Masseur Tarek Hussien
Masseur Ahmed Mahmoud

Source:

Managers List

Captains

Other sports

Al Ahly club compete in different other sports. Al Ahly's Handball, Athletics, Volleyball and Basketball teams have won many national, African and Arabic competitions.

Sponsors

See also

References

External links