Veteran midfielder Hossam Ghaly has been dumped as skipper of Cairo giants Ahly after he lost his temper and kicked the captain's armband to the ground after being sent off in an Egyptian Premier League game on Sunday. The 33-year-old received his marching orders with 12 minutes remaining of Ahly's 1-0 defeat by Haras El-Hodoud, having picked up two yellow cards in quick succession for furiously protesting against a refereeing decision. On his way out, the schemer took off the armband and kicked it in an action that he described as "involuntary". "I never meant to offend the club as many people said," he told Egyptian sports website FilGoal.com. Ahly, who are unlikely to retain the Egyptian Premier League title that they had won the past eight seasons, having fallen 11 points behind leaders and arch-rivals Zamalek, moved swiftly to punish Ghaly. "Chairman Mahmoud Taher, who is authorized by the board of directors to manage football affairs, has decided to strip Ghaly of the captain's armband," Ahly said in a brief statement on their official website. "The team's technical staff will also impose sanctions on him because of what he did in the defeat by Haras El-Hodoud." Ghaly is no stranger to controversy, having been vilified for a similar action while at English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. He incurred the wrath of the Spurs' supporters when he angrily threw the team's shirt to the ground after being substituted in a league game against Blackburn Rovers. Tottenham loaned him out to Derby County the following season before allowing him to leave on a free transfer in 2009. (For more sports news andupdates, followAhramOnlineSportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand onFacebookatAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/131091.aspx
