Egypt's Al Ahly earn record-extending 45th league title
Cairo, May 28 (Reuters) - Al Ahly clinched a record-extending 45th Egyptian Premier League title with a 6-0 rout of Pharco after Wesam Abou Ali scored four goals in their final game on Wednesday.
Abou Ali also provided the assist for the fifth goal, scored by Hussein Elshahat, with Imam Ashour wrapping up the win in added time as Al Ahly earned a third consecutive league crown.
The win brings Al Ahly's tally to 58 points, two ahead of their closest rivals Pyramids.
Local media reported that Pyramids have gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport demanding three points to be deducted from the champions for failing to show up for a match against arch-rivals Zamalek.
The Egyptian Professional Football Club Association had punished Al Ahly with a three-point deduction for not playing the match in March – after the club's request for foreign officials was turned down – but backed down after the Cairo-based club complained to the local Olympic Committee.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump names nominees to take over commands in the Middle East and Africa
President Donald Trump is nominating Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to take over as the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, the Pentagon said Wednesday. If he is confirmed, it would mark just the second time that a Navy admiral has held the job. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that Trump also is nominating Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson to head U.S. Africa Command. Anderson would be the first Air Force general to lead the command, which was created in 2007. Cooper is currently deputy commander of U.S. Central Command and has extensive experience serving and leading troops in the Middle East. The current head of the command, Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, is slated to retire after more than three years in the post. It is a crucial role as the region has been shaken by conflict, with the Trump administration pushing to broker a ceasefire deal after 20 months of war in Gaza and pressing for an agreement with Iran in negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. A 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Cooper commanded naval forces in the Middle East for close to three years as the head of the Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. He left in February 2024 to take over as deputy at Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and is based in Tampa. Army and Marine generals have largely held the Middle East job since it was created in 1983. And two of the recent leaders — former Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and former Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, went on to serve as defense secretary. Central Command covers 21 countries across central and south Asia and northeast Africa and has overseen the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Syria and Yemen. The only Navy officer to ever lead Central Command was Adm. William Fallon, who resigned after a year and retired. At the time, Fallon said he was stepping down due to press reports that suggested he was opposed to then-President George W. Bush's Iran policies. He said the reports were wrong but the perception had become a distraction. Cooper is a surface warfare officer and served on guided-missile cruisers, destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. He commanded a destroyer and a cruiser. During his time leading the 5th Fleet, Cooper set up the Navy's first unmanned and artificial intelligence task force, and he led naval operations against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. He also oversaw the Navy's role in Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led coalition created in late 2023 to counter Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. He previously served as commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic and commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea. Cooper is the son of a career Army officer and got his master's degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University. Anderson, nominated to lead operations in Africa, is a pilot who has flown the KC-135 tanker, the C-130 transport aircraft and the U-28A surveillance aircraft used largely by special operations forces. He has flown more than 3,400 flight hours, including 738 in combat. He is currently serving as the director of joint force development on the Joint Staff. According to the Air Force, he commanded a special operations squadron, an expeditionary squadron, an operations group and a special operations wing. He also led the task force that coordinated the repositioning of U.S. forces from Somalia and headed Special Operations Command, Africa, from 2019 to 2021. Africa Command is the newest of the Pentagon's geographic commands and covers the bulk of the African continent. Much of the U.S. military's efforts there have focused on combatting extremist groups and training local forces. Anderson would be the seventh general to head Africa Command. To date, four of the previous leaders were Army generals and two were Marines. Anderson is from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and graduated from the ROTC program at Washington University in St. Louis.
The Sun
43 minutes ago
- The Sun
Marcus Rashford ‘grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player as pair are spotted on swanky St Tropez holiday
ENGLAND football ace Marcus Rashford appears to have found a real smasher in semi-pro padel star Jaki Palm. The Manchester United star, 27, was this week pictured chatting to the Swedish beauty and a female pal in St Tropez. 7 7 7 She was seen in the French resort gazing attentively at the forward who had several chains around his neck. Jaki is based in Dubai is understood to have connected with Rashford when he visited in April. A source said: 'Marcus went to have rehab for a hamstring injury in Dubai and was introduced to Jaki. 'She then joined him with his mates and another woman in St Tropez for a holiday. It's all very casual but Jaki has told her friends she's grown close to him. 'She's being very coy about it. But Marcus is playing the field like young men his age. He is just having fun in the Premier League off-season and he's had a rough time with his hamstring so to see him having a laugh is what the doctor ordered.' Jaki describes herself as an entrepreneur and often shares sexy selfies on her Instagram account, which has 10,000 followers. She also creates content that she says gives her followers 'a front row seat to my padel journey.' On a subscription site for fans, Jaki wrote: 'From epic rallies to behind-the-scenes chaos — follow me for laughs, skills and everything padel.' Padel, a cross between tennis and squash, is one of the world's fastest-growing racket sports. Marcus, who spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, was last linked to Love Island: All Stars' Grace Jackson. Rashford to Inter Milan? Man Utd Star Eyes Shock Serie A Move! She opened up about their complex relationship on the ITV show earlier this year. She said: 'We weren't dating but we were chatting a little and texting. It's difficult because he can't go out and just go on a normal date. 'All these f****g United fans were like commenting, thousands of comments on my pictures, like, 'cause they loved me. 'When the article came out (about them) he scored two goals and he hadn't scored for ages, so they said, 'You fixed him'.' 7 7 7 7
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Sir Dave Brailsford scales back role in Man Utd shake-up
Sir Dave Brailsford is taking a step back from his Manchester United commitments after a prominent role in football operations since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's £1.25 billion investment into the club. Brailsford, 61, has been one of the faces of the changes at United over the last 15 months for his role in projects such as the redevelopment of the club's Carrington training base. It is understood that his role will now be reduced and he will return to his director-of-sport job for Ratcliffe's Ineos Group while staying on the board at United. The changes have been made for Brailsford to focus on wider sport issues across Ratcliffe's sporting teams. Brailsford stood down as team principal of Ineos Grenadiers cycling team when Ratcliffe's deal at United went through, but by reducing his time commitments at Old Trafford it means he can focus more on the sport that saw him lead Team GB to medals at the Olympic Games. Previously, Ineos club OGC Nice were operated by a 'blind trust', as the French outfit and United were both in Uefa competitions. But United's failure to qualify for Europe means Nice are back in the Ineos stable, which will also be overseen by Brailsford. Brailsford was often seen in the directors' box at United matches and was a major part of the football operations, which was given to Ratcliffe as part of the deal with the Glazer family. During this time, the new regime has seen two rounds of staff redundancies and radical cost-cutting plans. Since Ratcliffe's investment in United, which has increased to 28.94 per cent with further financing last December, the club has recorded its worst Premier League finish and will be without European football next season. Brailsford is credited with the 'marginal gains' concept that revived British cycling. 'If you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by one per cent, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together,' Brailsford told the BBC in 2012.
