CAIRO: Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan launched a fresh verbal attack on Ahly fans, whom he accused of hurling a barrage of insults at him during his side's Egyptian Cup victory at Fayoum on Saturday. The White Knights claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over second-division side Fayoum to reach the competition's round of 16 but the match was disrupted by crowd trouble before and during the game. Police had to fire tear gas to disperse the supporters of both sides after they threw stones at each other before kick off. There was a bizarre incident in the second half that forced the referee to stop the match for several minutes. TV cameras caught Zamalek fans hurling stones at people standing in the balconies of nearby buildings. Security forces eventually intervened to end the matter. Hassan pointed the finger at Ahly fans, whose team beat Nabaroh 3-0 later in the day to set up a Cairo derby meeting against Zamalek on Wednesday, for verbally abusing him. "The fans insulted me, my mother and my brother Ibrahim Hassan, and all of them were waving the flags of Ahly although they were supposed to be supporting Fayoum," he told reporters after the match. "I will be waiting to see what action the Egyptian FA will take regarding that," he added in a sarcastic tone. The antics of Hassan, who enjoyed a glorious 14-year spell as a striker with Ahly before joining Zamalek in 2000, infuriated the Red Devils' fans following last month's 3-3 derby draw between the traditional foes. He took off the white shirt he was wearing, waved it in front of Zamalek fans before running the length of the pitch to repeat the same actions against Ahly supporters. Both sides will meet for the third time this season when they lock horns in the Egyptian Cup round of 16.
