Football awaits a decision to resume, reports Ahmed Morsy Despite the recent announcement by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) replacing the cancelled domestic league season with the newly created Martyrs Cup, it's not a done deal. The Martyrs Cup, a proposed football friendly tournament scheduled for 29 March to 18 May behind closed doors, needs to be finalised by the clubs involved before it gets underway. In an interview with cafonline, Anwar Saleh, the EFA's interim president, said the final decision to hold the tournament had not yet been taken. "The board still needs to discuss some outstanding matters regarding organisation, marketing and sponsorship. There are some loose ends that need to be tied up, starting with our sponsors," Saleh said. Later, Saleh announced that the sponsors of the teams had urged the clubs not to take part in the Martyrs Cup. The EFA sponsor itself did likewise after discovering that the friendly tournament will be exclusively sponsored by a different company. "Cancelling the Martyrs Cup is the closest thing that could happen to prevent the clubs from having problems with their sponsors since it will cost the clubs millions if they violate the terms of the sponsorship contracts," Anwar told the daily Youm7. All Egyptian football activities were suspended following the Port Said disaster in which 74 football supporters were killed 1 February. A week ago, Prosecutor-General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud ordered the detention of 75 suspects in the massacre by referring them to criminal court, including Port Said's head of security and his three assistants. However, it remains unclear when will football matches of any kind resume. "The Interior Ministry will have the final say over whether to resume football activities," head of the National Sports Council (NSC) Emad El-Bannani said after attending a meeting on Saturday involving Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, Ahli club president Hassan Hamdi and Saleh. In the middle of the hazy picture, a heated debate among football figures is ongoing over whether the Martyrs Cup is of any benefit and whether it will start at its appointed time. "Unfortunately, after the clubs agreed to participate in the friendly tournament, some of the teams' coaches and board members now say they disapprove," Sherif Abdel-Kader, sports editor of the independent daily Al-Shorouk, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Though the Martyrs Cup is to be played in military stadiums and behind closed doors, the Interior Ministry is still reluctant to give the EFA the green light. I wonder how did the EFA announce the opening and closing dates of the tournament when the Interior Ministry had not yet decided to resume football activities?" Abdel-Kader asked. "The Interior Ministry is not only embarrassing the EFA but this also affects the clubs in their warming-up for their continental commitments since it doesn't permit them to play in friendly games. For instance, Ahli and Zamalek have had to play their friendlies secretly," Abdel-Kader added. Meanwhile, Egypt's top two clubs Ahli and Zamalek are preparing for their round 32 games in the CAF African Champions League. Ahli are scheduled to play Ethiopian Coffee in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa tomorrow. The return leg takes place a fortnight later in Cairo. Zamalek will be facing Ivorian giants Africa Sports in their first leg game in Cairo on Sunday. "Even if the friendly tournament is cancelled, the Egyptian Cup will face the same obstacles as long as there are clubs like Zamalek which won't play without their international players. We are suffering badly from disorganisation and no quick decisions," Abdel-Kader said. Recently, Zamalek announced its refusal to participate in the Martyrs Cup, joining Al-Gaish, Ittihad and Dakhlayia who earlier rejected the idea. "Our team only participates in serious tournaments," said Zamalek board member Ibrahim Youssef after attending a meeting of the club's board. Youssef added that the friendly tournament is not serious and closer to a joke. In reply, EFA competition's committee president Amer Hussein stressed that the Egyptian Cup will be held even if some clubs stick to their position not to participate without international players.
