Ahly will not accept the changes made to the Egyptian Premier League schedule that had been set by the Egyptian Football association (EFA) on 8 January, the club announced via their official website on Thursday. The club announced that they are committed to the decision made during the urgent board meeting held on 9 February in response to suggestions brought up by rivals Zamalek and Pyramids FC to make amendments to the schedule. “We totally reject replacing any Ahly game in the Egyptian league with another in the cup in response to pressure by any party, especially since the league's current schedule was set by the EFA themselves with no interference from any of the parties and they should commit to it,” the club said in a statement after the urgent board meeting on 9 February. Despite the statement from Ahly, the EFA decided earlier this month to postpone the team's clash with big-spending club Pyramids in the league that was initially scheduled for 28 February and replace it with a game against the same side but in the cup. The mounting crisis between the Cairo giants and the EFA does not seem to be moving towards any settlement, meaning all possibilities remain open including Ahly's withdrawal from the cup, which they only won once in the last decade. Ahly are currently third in the standings with 45 points, the same as Pyramids, who sit in second place on goal difference but have played three more games, while Zamalek occupy the top spot with 52 points, having played one more game than Ahly. For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
