Mansour re-appears THE EGYPTIAN Administrative Court has annulled a decision by Egypt's former minister of youth in which he dissolved the board of directors of Zamalek club. The club was then headed by Mortada Mansour. The case though is still in court until a final ruling is made. As soon as the ruling was announced, Mansour headed to the club, was congratulated by several club members, met with the former board and called for a general assembly in September in which new elections would take place. The board had been dissolved after huge club disputes, some of which had turned violent. Team sports in the club had gone from bad to worse and most activities had been suspended by the federations because of Mansour's interference. A new temporary board headed by journalist Mursi Attallah was appointed to head the club until the end of the year and until new board elections are held. The court stated that the dissolution was illegal since the former board was elected by the club's congress and general assembly which meant that they were given a mandate by the people. The court said former Minister of Youth Mamdouh El-Beltagui would have been entitled to dissolve the federation if there was corruption or real danger threatening the stability of the club, both of which were not proven in court. The court said El-Beltagui's decision was based on matters that did not require dissolution. The appointed board of directors, headed by Attallah, refused to comment on the ruling, saying they were appointed by the government until December 2006, and that if the former board wanted to return they would have to notify the appointed board members. Abdel-Fatah in Germany ONLY two African referees have been selected among 23 expected to officiate at the World Cup finals. Egyptian Essam Abdel-Fatah and Coffi Codja from Benin made the final list which has 10 referees from Europe, three from Central America, five from South America and three from Asia. "The 33rd team at the World Cup -- the 23 referees who will be in action in Germany -- are currently the best match officials in the world," said FIFA President Sepp Blatter. "That is the way it has to be as they will have a crucial role to play in this tournament, and great demands will be placed upon them." Abdel-Fatah said he was glad to be selected for the World Cup. "I was confident of being chosen. I knew I was doing well in the season." In the trials in Frankfurt, Abdel-Fattah was first in five tests. Abdel-Fatah, 39, said that his selection was an honour for him as an Egyptian and an African. Mustafa Kamel Mahmoud, Ali Qandil and Gamal El-Ghandour are Egyptians who refereed in previous World Cups. Abdel-Fatah was born in Beni Sueif, 200km southern of Cairo and is an officer in the air force. He was a former footballer in Beni Sueif before moving to the Upper Egyptian club of Aluminium. But his air force job prevented him from pursuing a career as a player. He decided to become a referee following his retirement and earned the international badge in 1996. The African Nations Cup in 2004 in Tunisia was his first taste of international experience. He also took part in the World Cup for Youth in 2005 in the Netherlands just 48 hours before the tournament kicked off as a late replacement. He also participated in the Olympic Games in Athens 2004. Last year, Abdel-Fatah was selected by FIFA to officiate the decisive World Cup qualifier between Tunisia and Morocco in Tunis. His performance allowed him the opportunity to appear in the World Cup. Abdel-Fatah has a busy schedule, officiating in the Egyptian and Qatari leagues as well as friendly games abroad. The World Cup, in which Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Togo will be representing Africa, begins on 9 June. Crown three AHLI's volleyball team added a third title to its collection by winning the national league earlier this week. Ahli swept arch-rivals Zamalek 3-0 in the final of the league tournament in Cairo Stadium's indoor hall. The victory gave Ahli 16 points and the top of the league standings. El-Geish were runners-up. Ahli had also won the Arab Clubs Championship as well as the domestic cup. Gezira confident THE BASKETBALL league championship will be determined next week when the second and final super league tournament begins in Cairo. After winning the first super league tournament in Alexandria last week, Gezira is confident of defending its title for the second year in a row. The defending champions beat Ahli 82-80 to win the first super league. Judo in Vienna EGYPTIAN judokas won two silver medals and a bronze in an international championship in Vienna. The bronze medal was won by Amin El-Hadi in the 66kg category while the silvers were won by Hisham Mesbah in 90kg and Sameh Ramadan in free weight. Altogether 320 athletes representing 32 nations took part in the event.
