Al Ahly part ways with coach Koller after Sundowns semi defeat
Egypt's Al Ahly on Saturday announced they parted ways with coach Marcel Koller after being knocked out of the Champions League semifinal.
The 64-year-old came under fire as the defending champions were stunned by South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns on the away goal rule as they played to a 1-1 second leg draw in Cairo on Friday, after a scoreless stalemate in Pretoria.
Bottles of water were thrown from the stands at the Swiss as he left the pitch after the final whistle.
You will always be part of Al Ahly family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/iggHsf3j7v
— Al Ahly SC 🇬🇧 (@AlAhlyEnglish) April 26, 2025
'Due to the emergency circumstances and in light of the distinguished relationship that has been reflected in numerous previous positions, the club is currently negotiating with the coach to terminate the contract by mutual consent in a manner befitting the club and its coach,' the club said.
Since taking the helm in September 2022, when he replaced South African Pitso Mosimane, the former FC Basel and FC Köln coach steered Al Ahly to several trophies, including two Champions League titles.
In Friday's other semifinal second leg, also between a South African and Egyptian club, Pyramids FC beat Orlando Pirates 3-2 at June 30 Air Defence Stadium in Cairo to progress by the same scoreline on aggregate.
The final will be played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on May 24, with the second leg at June 30 Stadium on June 1.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
36 minutes ago
- The South African
Pirates news: R15 million, free agent opportunity, captain saga
Orlando Pirates are on the verge of adding several stars to their already talented squad, boasting playmakers from Relebohile Mofokeng to Patrick Maswanganyi. According to reports, the Soweto giants will need to pay R15 million for teenage target Prince Ndlovu. 'Highlanders FC value Prince (Ndlovu) and that's why they are pricing him at around R15million,' a source revealed. 'For now this price is believed to be directed at South African team Orlando Pirates because apparently they are the ones who have enquired about his services. Highlanders believe it's a fair price looking at his talent, quality and future ahead of him.' Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates are left without a captain following the release of Innocent Maela – highly-rated defender Nkosinathi Sibisi is among the favourites to get the armband. AmaZulu playmaker Rowan Human has informed his club that he will not be signing a contract extension, making him a free agent in the offseason window and opening the door for Pirates, who were reportedly interested in the 24-year-old back in January. 'AmaZulu FC midfielder Rowan Human has been offered to Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs by his representatives as he is set to leave the club on a free transfer. Human will leave Usuthu at the end of June after his contract expires after the 24-year-old failed to reach an agreement with the club on a new contract,' a source revealed. 'Human has been offered to both Soweto giants by his representatives and it could only be a matter of time before he gets snapped up as he will be a free agent and rediscovered his old form.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
TOSS: Proteas captain Temba Bavuma elects to bowl in World Test Championship final at Lord's
Proteas captain Temba Bavuma and his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins stand aloft the Lord's balcony with the ICC golden mace ahead of the WTC final. Picture: ICC Proteas captain Temba Bavuma has won the toss and elected to bowl in the World Test Championship final at Lords against Australia. Lord's has been bedecked by cloud cover all Wednesday morning and Bavuma had no hesitation in sending the Aussies in to have first strike. "I think we have selected the best team for these conditions. Massive [occasion]. You can hear the South African accents as well in the stands. Should be a spectacle," Bavuma said. Australian captain Pat Cummins says his team are ready for the challenge of batting first. "Preparation has been unreal. All the guys in the team are ready to go. Everyone's come together and we have had about ten days of preparation," Cummins said. "I don't think there's any extra pressure. We've been here before and won it. So it's just about going out and enjoying it." Former England fast bowler, Stuart Broad, who assisted the Proteas with their preparations, did the pitch report. "The clouds are intriguing me. I think the pitch looks nice, particularly on day two when the sun comes out. Captains have leant towards bowling here but the results have leant towards teams batting first. If you bowl first, the new ball bowlers need to be on the money," Broad said. "You need to get used to the slope early on and settle. When you are bowling at the Pavillion end, bowling to the right-hander, you try to move it towards the stumps for bowled and lbw and from the Nursery end, you try to move it away to get the edges."
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
All systems go: What to expect from 2025's 24 Hours of Le Mans
The world's oldest and prestigious endurance race promises to be another suspense-filled one come 16h00 on Saturday. The 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks-off this weekend with Ferrari defending back-to-back victories. Photo by Gregory Lenormand / DPPI via AFP. In one of its biggest highlights for years, the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend sees the return of not only Aston Martin to the premier Hypercar class, but and expanded field of LM GT3 cars in the category's second running since replacing LM GT last year. Packed grid The fourth round of this year's World Endurance Championship, which carries double points to the overall series, the event will once more be contested by entries competing in WEC, as well as the North American IMSA series, the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and for the first time, the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS). ALSO READ: Ferrari takes second straight win in dramatic 24 Hours of Le Mans Also competing for the first time is a single entry from the GT World Challenge and a further entrant without any affiliation to the mentioned series'. Hypercar In the Hypercar class, a field of 21 cars will be contesting, lad by reigning champions Ferrari with three 499Ps, Toyota with two GR010s, Porsche with four 963s and Cadillac with four Rs. Besides the two new factory supported Aston Martin Valkyries, Alpine returns with two new works A424's, as does BMW with the M Hybrid V8. Rounding the list of manufactures off, is Peugeot with the latest version of the 9X0. Missing is Lamborghini after the abrupt cancellation of the SC63 project after two rounds of the IMSA series. LMP2 In the second-tier LMP2 class, 17 entries will campaign the venerable Oreca 07 Gibson in its swansong before the arrival of a new class in 2026. LM GT3 The biggest entry at La Sarthe is, however, the 24-car LM GT3 class won last year by the Porsche supported Manthey Racing team. Out of the entries, Stuttgart will have three 911 GT3 R's competing against a pair of Aston Martin Vantages, three Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3 Rs, two Ford Mustang GT3s, a similar number of BMW M4 GT3s, and three Ferrari 296 GT3. Returning are the pair of Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F GT3s and the United Autosports pair of McLaren 720s GT3. For the first time since the infamous 1999 event, Mercedes-AMG makes a comeback, albeit with the private Iron Lynx team in three AMG GT3 Evos. Along with the SC63, no Lamborghinis will be competing in LM GT3. South African interest Set to start at 16h00, with tennis great Roger Federer being the official flag marshal entrusted with dropping the French tricolour, South African interest will be provided by brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde. While the younger Sheldon makes his second start in the Hypercar class sharing the #20 BMW, as last year, with Dutchman Robin Frijns and Germany's Rene Rast, Kelvin remains in the LM GT3 class, but now with BMW following Audi's withdrawal from GT racing at the end of last year. Contracted by Audi at the time, the older van der Linde swaps the Akkodis Lexus he raced at Le Mans last year for the official #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3 in which he will share driving duties with Oman's Ahmad Al Harthy and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. Where? As in previous years, the event will be streamed live on the World Endurance Championships' YouTube page, and shown in South Africa on a dedicated SuperSport channel from beginning to end at 16h00 on Sunday. In addition, Le Mans organisers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, have provided a detailed spotters guide of each entry which can be downloaded here. NOW READ: Ferrari returns to top spot at Le Mans after over five decades
