Ahli will rely heavily on their new appointed head coach to maintain the status quo, Ahmed Morsy reports Hossam has become the first Egyptian in 17 years to coach Ahli's football team. The ex- Egypt international's appointment was imminent as he became a front-runner for the hot Ahli seat after the sudden departure of Nelo Vingada last month. served as assistant coach to Manuel Jose during the past five seasons, which saw the Portuguese gather a host of trophies with the club. As part of a reshuffle, Hadi Khashaba becomes Ahli's football manager, Emad El-Nahhas assistant manager, and Alaa Maihoub and Mohamed Youssef are assistant coaches. "For sure I'm very happy to be selected Ahli's head coach since the job has been given to just a few Egyptians," said. Taha Ismail, Mahmoud El-Gohari and Mahmoud El-Sayes were Egyptians who previously were at the Ahli helm. Anwar Salama was the last Egyptian to head the team, back in 1992. "I am honoured to be included among these names. However, it is mixed with the fear of failure especially because the club and the fans are used to winning championships which adds a burden and stress on whoever holds this position," he added. "I certainly have unlimited aspirations which I will try to achieve during this period. The priority is to preserve what was achieved in addition to the recapturing of lost titles. "As for the beginning, we will start the season with a championship game in itself, against Haras Al-Hedoud in the Egyptian Super Cup on 12 July and I hope to claim the title so that it becomes the best possible start for me with the team. "I learned a lot from Manuel Jose, the most important of which is to take risks and play with tactical courage," he said. expressed his desire to be the head coach before he was selected. "Coaching Ahli would be a dream come true for me or anyone else," the former Ahli defender had told Al-Hayat TV. "I will be under the club's disposal if they decide to offer me the vacant position." Portuguese coach Vingada had signed a two- year contract with the Red Devils last month, but backed down on the job for "family reasons." However, reports suggested that Vingada backtracked on the Ahli job after he failed to get along with the club's football committee. "To take over Ahli, I would have to be sharp all the time," Vingada had told the club's official website. "The past few days were really tough for me and for my family as well, and I don't think I can do my job competently under such circumstances. "I need to move to Portugal in the immediate future to stand by my family, and I hope I can terminate the agreement we reached without troubles. "I apologise for my decision, but I had no choice." Ahli had been busy looking for a replacement for Jose, who left for Angola last month to coach the country's national team. The six-time African champions Ahli are currently in Germany for a pre-season training camp which will continue until 10 July. Versatile midfielder Ahmed Fathi missed the trip as he is still nursing a knee injury he sustained during Egypt's Confederations Cup campaign. He is due to link up with his teammates in Germany this week. Veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan was also missing after the club's board allowed him to remain with Egypt until their World Cup qualifier against Rwanda on 5 July. During the camp, Ahli will play in a friendly tournament that will feature Turkish side Galatasaray, Germany's Bayern Munich and Morocco's Wydad Casablanca. The Red Devils will take part in another tournament later in July, the inaugural Wembley Cup that will also include European champions Barcelona, English side Tottenham Hotspur and Scottish giants Celtic.
