Former Luxor club president elected as Egyptian FA chairman

Little-known Gamal Allam becomes the new chairman of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) as the anticipated and controversial elections took place on Thursday

Gamal Allam, former president of Luxor club, has been elected as the new chairman of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on Thursday.
He comfortably beat off competition from challengers Ihab Saleh and Osama Khalil to garner 110 votes as the general assembly, which consists of the Egyptian clubs who are registered in the four divisions, convened to choose the new chairman.
Businessman Saleh and former Ismaily player Khalil came second and third with 41 and 39 votes respectively.
The anticipated elections finally went ahead after world governing body FIFA reportedly threatened to suspend Egypt due to alleged government interference in football affairs.
The FIFA warning came after Maqassa chairman Mohamed Abdel-Salam, who was disqualified from the race to become the new EFA president because he has yet to complete a full term in charge of his club, was reinstated by a court ruling.
He was eventually left out of the race, joining FIFA executive committee member Hani Abou-Reida on the sidelines.
Controversy
Abou-Reida caused much controversy when he initially announced he would run for the EFA president, incurring the wrath of Ahly's die-hard supporters (Ultras Ahlawy), who accuse him of conspiring against their club in the infamous Port Said saga.
Port Said club Masry were originally banned by the EFA for two years following February's football disaster which left more than 70 Ahly fans killed following the end of an ill-tempered league game.
However, the ban was swiftly overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) because the EFA declined to send a representative to attend a hearing CAS held to look into the case. Ultras Ahlawy alleged that Abou-Reida deliberately played a role in the EFA gaffe to spare Masry, the club of his hometown, any punishments.
The fan group vowed not to let the EFA resume domestic football activities until "justice is done" in the Port Said case. They listed six demands that included the disqualification of Abou-Reida from the elections.
Abou-Reida, a former member of the now-defunct National Democratic Party (NDP), was eventually disqualified by the EFA's appeals committee, which said he was not eligible to contest the elections because he served as an EFA official for two consecutive terms.
However, Allam's success will come as a boost for Abou-Reida, who predicted earlier on Thursday that the former Luxor club chairman, the first official from Upper Egypt to become the EFA chairman, would claim overwhelming success in the elections.
Allam, who is known to have a close relationship with Abou-Reida, said he would take advantage of his comrade's experience during his tenure in office.
His first challenge will be holding the Egyptian Premier League as scheduled despite incessant protests from Ultras Ahlawy.
The ardent group of supporters staged a protest in front of the presidential palace on Thursday to demand the suspension of the league until the 70+ defendants in the Port Said case are convicted.
The new league season is set to kick off on 17 October. The first half of the season will be played behind closed doors due to lingering security concerns in Egypt.
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