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I am the special one, says Ahly coach Jose Ahly's veteran coach Manuel Jose heaps praise on himself after Red Devils make surprise qualification for African Champions League group stage
Ahly's coach Manuel Jose Da Silva hailed his players after they defeated Stade Malien 3-1 on Monday qualifying for the CAF Champions League group stage. He insisted that he had changed Egyptian football since taking charge of the Cairo giants. "The visitors scored early which made the game more difficult for us as we were defeated in the first leg in Mali. We had a lot of missed chances but I did not lose hope at all that we would recover," the veteran Portuguese tactician told the club's TV channel after the match. "At half time, I told my players that they are able to win. I asked them to concentrate and enjoy playing football." "I am proud of coaching those players who have had bad experiences this year and need a lot of support," added the 66-year-old coach. Abou-Treika made the difference The Red Devils campaign to achieve the prestigious African title was about to collapse, but Mohamed Abou-Treika, displaying his old brilliance, scored a hat-trick to lift Ahly to the quarter finals at the expense of Stade Malien following a nervy 3-2 aggregate win on Monday. "Abou-Treika played a prominent role in that achievement especially as he was sick and possibly not going to play, but he insisted," explained Jose heaping praise on his experienced player. Jose compares achievements with Zamalek, his future still uncertain Recent reports claimed that Jose's current third stint with the club would be his last and that he would be leaving in June when his contract expires as football activity in the country is in doubt since February's Port Said disaster in which over 70 fans were killed. However, Jose, who led the team to a host of titles including four African Champions League triumphs and six league titles, refuses to comment on his future at the time being. "I am a professional coach and I am committed to Ahly until the end of my current contract," said Jose. "I won 21 titles in my career with Ahly, six of them are league titles while our rivals Zamalek are league winners only 11-times throughout their history. I have changed Egyptian football during my three stints that lasted seven years," he said. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter:@AO Sports) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/41694.aspx
