Ahly President Mahmoud El-Khatib has praised his team and archrivals Zamalek for their recent achievement of reaching the African Champions League final, rejecting any abuse towards any player, coach, or official. The Red Devils defeated Zamalek 2-1 on Friday to secure a record-extending ninth Champions League title, their first since 2013, atoning for two final losses against Morocco's Wydad and Tunisia's Esperance in 2017 and 2018, respectively. "I would like to praise Ahly and Zamalek for their great effort from the start of the Champions League tournament until reaching the final to ensure that the winner will be an Egyptian team regardless of its name," El-Khatib said in a statement published by Ahly's official website on Sunday. The former Ahly star also stressed that kindness and mutual respect should always prevail between all members of the sports community. El-Khatib's statement comes following a video circulating on social media showing racial abuse towards Zamalek star Mahmoud 'Shikabala' Abdel-Razek by some fans after Friday's match. "I totally reject any abuse towards any player, coach, or official, especially since sports are a tool for tolerance, not for creating distances," the Ahly president explained. "All fans from different clubs should forget any previous offences as our country needs from all of us to stand together behind the leadership to move forward and achieve all ambitions," El-Khatib added. El-Khatib also thanked Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the country's different institutions after the successful hosting of the prestigious Champions League final at Cairo's international stadium. Ahly are on course for a treble of titles, having already won the Egyptian Premier League title and reached the Egyptian Cup semifinals. span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
