DESPITE keeping his job as head of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), the law might still deny Samir Zaher his post. In EFA elections that took place on Friday, Zaher beat out his chief rivals for the post of EFA president for another four years. Zaher collected 85 out of 114 votes while his closest rival, Kamal Darwish, a former Zamalek club president, claimed only 27 votes. Surprisingly, two other candidates, former Ismaili star Osama Khalil and TV commentator Ashraf Shaker, received no votes. There was only one new face in the new board, which still comprises Hani Abou Reida, Magdi Abdel-Ghani, Ayman Younes and Hazem El-Hawari. The new face is Mahmoud El-Shami. Zaher was joyous over his re-election and said his main ambition in the next four years was to lead Egyptian football to the World Cup. "The federation will provide the national team with all facilities they need in order to win their campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and before that, the Confederations Cup in South Africa next June," Zaher said. Zaher said he was thrilled with the reception he received at the EFA headquarters and the confidence the General Assembly had bestowed in him. "They trust I am capable of leading Egyptian football in the coming years" mainly because of the success he realised in his last term, including winning both the 2006 and 2008 African Nations Cup. But Zaher could still lose his place and the elections might have to be replayed. Two days before the elections, a court ruling had scratched Zaher from the elections after he was charged with mishandling public funds and issuing cheques that bounced. Two others, Karam Kordi and Ihab Saleh, were also banned from running in the polls, Kordi for absconding from military service. However, both Zaher and Kordi successfully appealed to the court 24 hours before the elections. The court will consider the case on 23 December. If the court rules against Zaher and Kordi, the election result will be nullified, and another board will be appointed until new elections are held. Meanwhile, some candidates who lost in last week's elections have filed lawsuits claiming the elections were illegal because the court did not carry out its original ruling, which was to prevent Zaher and Kordi from running in the poll.
