CAIRO - The recent decision of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to apply Article 18 of the FIFA (football's world governing body) regulations will have an impact on the Egyptian Premier League before the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. Next season will be the last for a number of clubs that we have become used to see playing in the top flight. Article 18 of FIFA's regulations says: "Football associations shall ensure that any organisation or institution never controls more than one club in one premier league.” This article prohibits two clubs under the same owner from playing in the same competition. However, in the Egyptian Premier League, the police, military and oil institutions control about seven clubs, which will come under scrutiny before the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. The Egyptian Premier League currently has two clubs owned by the Oil Ministry Petrojet and Enppi and two Army-owned clubs: Haras el-Hodoud and el-Geish. Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) recently requested the EFA to turn the Egyptian League professional, starting in the same season. The CAF stressed that all the Egyptian clubs that play in African competitions must have a professional licence as they are playing in professional leagues; otherwise, they will not participate in the African competitions. As said above, there are many clubs in the Egyptian Premier League that need integration to represent only one institution, such as Enppi, Petrojet, Haras el-Hodoud, el-Geish, Military Production and Police Union, besides newly promoted el-Dakhliya. The Oil management will be asked to choose one from the two clubs already in the Premier League: Enppi or Petrojet. The same will be happen to the military clubs, as the management will be asked to choose one from Haras el-Hodoud, Military Production and el-Geish. Meanwhile, the police will have to choose between Police Union and newly promoted el-Dakhliya. Haras el-Hodoud and Enppi, the oldest clubs in the Egyptian Premier League, will be integrated and merged. Both were promoted to the Premier League at the beginning of the 2002-2003 season and have been competing there ever since. El-Geish joined them later on, being promoted for the first time to the top flight in 2004-2005, followed by Petrojet, which was promoted for the first time to the Premier League in 2006-2007. The Police Union were promoted in 2008-2009 season and then Military Production in 2009-2010. El-Dakhliya, which will participate for the first time in its history in the Egyptian Premier League this season, having just been promoted, might just play one season with the big boys, before being integrated or relegated to the Second Division. Meanwhile, there has been much debate over EFA's decision last Tuesday not to relegate any teams from the Egyptian Premier League this season. Most Egyptian soccer experts are against this decision, taken by EFA members. They believe that there is no need for it, despite the recent revolution. This decision means that there will be 20 teams playing in next season's Premier League. Some EFA members have suggested that, next season, the Premier League be divided into two, to avoid the problem of the Oil and military clubs.
