Ahly have officially appointed Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido as the team's new tactician, the Cairo giants announced in a press conference on Tuesday. Ahly were crowned Egyptian champions for the eighth straight time after playing out a goalless draw with Smouha in the title decider late on Monday. The Cairo giants took their tally of league titles to 37, maintaining a huge gap over bitter rivals Zamalek, who won the last of their 11 titles in 2004. "Garrido will take the charge of the team for two seasons," said Ahly's football director Alaa Abdel-Sadek. "Our desire to build a new team of young players was the main reason behind the signing ofGarrido as he had a successful experience with both Spanish clubsVillarrealand Real Betis," he added. Garrido will replace interim coach Fathi Mabrouk who took the charge of the team last May after the departure of former coach Mohamed Youssef. The 45-year old Garrido previously coached Spanish sides Villarreal and Real Betis along with Club Brugge of Belgium. After only nine official games and only one win with Betis, Garrido was sacked after three consecutive losses last January. Upon the press conference held at the club's headquarters to unveil him, Garrido congratulated the former technical staff and the players for the league trophy. "The competitive atmosphere at Ahly and the fans all urged me to accept the mission," Garrido said. "First of all, I hope that fans will return to the stands, especially as we resume our Egypt Cup campaign in two days," he added. Fans have been banned from attending domestic league matches since February 2012, when 72 Ahly fans died in Port Said Stadium after clashes with rivals Masry fans. Under the new coach, Ahly will be eying a full mark this season by clinching both the Egypt Cup and the African Confederation Cup titles. "Winning any tournament and delivering good football is my main target with Ahly," the new boss explained. "I need from 30 to 45 days to show my impact. I need some patience." "I know little information about the players, but it's still not enough. "Winning my first match in Egypt Cup after two days will be great. I will depend on the squad that played in recent match and there will not be any major changes," he concluded. (For more sports newsandupdates,followAhramOnlineSportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand onFacebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/105746.aspx
