The draw for the first post-revolution Egyptian domestic league has been made, Ahmed Morsy reports The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has announced that the first post-revolution Egyptian national league is scheduled to start on 14 October with 19 teams, up from 16 last season. Title holders Ahli will start their league title campaign against Haras Al-Hedoud while runners-up Zamalek will premiere against Wadi Degla. Ismaili are due to be hosted by Petrojet in the first week. Ahli, who hold 36 titles, including the last seven in a row, are scheduled to play arch-rivals Zamalek in the Cairo derby in the 18th week of the first half of the season and 37th week of round two. Zamalek finished second last year after topping the table for most of the season. With relegation cancelled last season, each team will play a whopping 36 matches. Hence, there will be week-long breaks for each team. For instance, the first week of the domestic league is a breather for Smouha and the second week will be a rest period for Al-Dakhlayah. Ahli will get a respite in the eighth week while the ninth is a vacation for Zamalek. Regarding the transfers of the new season, Ahli completed the signing of talented Ismaili playmaker Abdullah El-Said before the transfer window closed on Thursday. El-Said signed a three-year contract with Ahli worth LE6.750 million. Ahli agreed to loan Algerian forward Amir Sayoud to Ismaili for one year. El-Said, 26, started his career with Ismaili and played for Egypt in the 2005 World Youth Championship. He joined the Pharaohs squad when they were coached by current Zamalek manager Hassan Shehata. "I was raised in Ismailia and thus I never supported Ahli when I was young," El-Said said in an interview with Ahli's satellite channel. "However, my ambition was to join such a great club. There is a big difference between supporting a team and being a professional player," El-Said, who finished last season as Ismaili's top scorer with eight goals, added. "[Ahli coach] Manuel Jose welcomed me on my first day and told me that he is expecting a lot from me, and that's what I am hoping for." El-Said is the sixth new signing for Ahli this season, after striker El-Sayed Hamdi, Brazilian Fabio Junior, defender Mohamed Naguib, midfielder Walid Suleiman and defender Ahmed Shedid Qinawi. In the national cup tournament, Ahli and Zamalek were scheduled to play Enppi and Wadi Degla on Wednesday and Tuesday respectively in the round or 16 of the Egyptian Cup in Cairo Stadium. The winner of the Ahli-Enppi clash will play the winner of Police Union against Petrojet in the quarter- finals on Monday. The winner of Zamalek and Wadi Degla is scheduled to play the winner of El-Gouna vs Assiut Petroleum in the same round on Sunday. The Cup competition is due to end on 11 October, three days before the beginning of the domestic league. Cup play had started earlier but, like the league, was curtailed when the Egyptian revolution erupted in January. Earlier, the EFA announced that after crowd trouble in Ahli's match with Kima Aswan in round 32, Ahli will be forced to play one home match away and pay for the damage its supporters caused to Cairo Stadium. "Ahli must fund the repairs of all damage inflicted on Cairo Stadium stands," EFA competition committee president Amer Hussein stated on the association's official website. The match, which ended 4-0 in Ahli's favour, witnessed clashes between local police and Ahli's loyal supporters, the Ultras Ahlawis, leaving more than 140 injured.
