An impressive 3-0 victory over arch-rivals Zamalek gave Ahli the FA Cup title, but an unprecedented high-ranking brawl in the stadium took centre stage. Inas Mazhar reports Despite being held during the World Cup matches, the Ahli- Zamalek FA Cup final attracted an unexpectedly high spectator turnout at Cairo International Stadium which saw not just Ahli win but an unprecedented pushing and shove match between high-ranking state officials which led to Zamalek club's president being stripped of his post. The 3-0 win maintained Ahli's continued supremacy over Zamalek, having beaten their cross-town rivals four times and drawn once in their last five outings. It was the first time Zamalek and Ahli had met in the final of the cup since 1992 when Ahli won 2-1. It was Ahli's 34th cup triumph as opposed to Zamalek's 20. Emad Miteb scored twice while defender Emad El-Nahhas netted for Ahli which managed to win the double for the first time since 1996 and the 12th time the club wins both competitions in the same year. Mohamed Abou Treika could have added a fourth had he not missed a penalty kick in the first half. Zamalek played with 10 men for the entire second half after Mahmoud Mahmoud was sent off the pitch for a deliberate elbow in Miteb's face. The match was played against the backdrop of a row that broke out among high-ranking state officials in the stadium. The dispute, which erupted into fisticuffs, was instigated by Zamalek's often controversial President Murtada Mansour who had been heckled and jeered by Ahli spectators. The boos apparently had an affect on Mansour, who then turned against Ahli's officials. At one point Mansour took off his shoes, a very offensive gesture in the Arab world, and waved a pair at Ahli club treasurer Mohamed Bagneid, asking him to stop the Ahli fans whom he said "deserve nothing but shoes." In the middle of the argument sat the personal representative of President Hosni Mubarak, head of the National Sports Council Hassan Saqr, and Samir Zaher, president of the Egyptian Football Association. On Saturday, Sakr came out with several punitive measures. Mansour had been temporarily suspended from his post as the club president. Also Zamalek would be fined LE250,000 for refusing to receive their silver medals as runners-up, and the club was banned from playing in the Egyptian super cup which pits the winner of the league against the cup victors. (In this case, because of Ahli winning the double, the league representative in the super cup would have been Zamalek, the runners-up). Mansour was also banned from entering the club or holding any news conferences in its headquarters until a court ruling on 25 June which Mansour appealed for . Deputy club president Raouf Gasser is Mansour's temporary replacement. Ahli club board of directors also complained to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif about Mansour for what they claimed was deliberately attacking the club's officials and fans publicly. Sakr announced at a press conference held after the match that he was dissatisfied with Mansour's behaviour in the VIP tribune. He said the VIP tribune belongs to the government and attacking anyone there means attacking the nation itself. Sakr did not show any signs of disapproval over Mansour when he attacked him personally, sufficing to criticise his actions in general in the box.
