CAIRO - The Zamalek coach said that the return of the Egyptian Premier League was becoming more and more urgent, whether the demand was feasible or not, stressing that the whole issue needed to be carefully studied before any decision was taken. He added that the Premier League could not return before justice had been brought to the martyrs of Port Said. A match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly on February 1 in the coastal city of Port Said ended in violent clashes that claimed the lives of at least 70 Al-Ahly fans and injured around 1,000 spectators. Just seconds after the final whistle, thousands of supporters of the Port Said team Al-Masry invaded the pitch and hurled bottles and rocks at Cairo Al-Ahly fans. "The indefinite suspension of Egypt's Premier League as a result of the Port Said tragedy has led to most clubs stopping their sporting activities. The players have become slack and lax," the White Knights technical coach said on the Zamalek club's official website. The 62-year-old coach pointed out that friendly matches were not enough to prepare the team for an African game, because the players lacked enthusiasm and gusto. "If the Premier League gets cancelled altogether, there must be another competition," he added, explaining that an alternative tournament would be beneficial for the players, both technically and physically, besides maintaining their fitness. "We must find an alternative to save the Egyptian clubs from the threat of bankruptcy," Shehata stressed and said that the suspension affected the performance of the clubs and therefore the national teams, since training camps were not enough. Shehata stated that his team's performance against Tanzania's Young Africans in round 64 of the African Champions League (ACL) last Saturday was not inspiring and satisfactory, although qualifying for round 32 was definitely important. The White Knights defeated the Young Africans of Tanzania 1-0 in the second leg of round 64 of the ACL, thanks to a header from striker Ahmed Hossam 'Mido'. The match, played behind closed doors in the Military Stadium Cairo, was the first official game since the Port Said tragedy. Egyptian giants Zamalek were held to a 1-1 draw by the Young Africans of Tanzania in the first leg in Dar es-Salaam, thanks to a goal from the Young Africans' Hamis Kiiza, while Amr Zaki equalised for the White Knights. Zamalek, the five-time African champions, will now play Africa Sports of Côte d'Ivoire in round 32 of the ACL tournament. The first leg will be held in Cairo on March 25 and the second a fortnight later in Côte d'Ivoire. The board members of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have resigned in solidarity with the families of those who died in Port Said. Many experts and heads of federations have been urging the officials in charge to take the necessary action and prevent something like the Port Said massacre from ever happening again. Nevertheless they stress the dire need for sporting events to resume, while others say it's impossible to resume the League this season. Emad el-Banani, the Chairman of Egypt's National Sports Council (NSC), says he is confident that the Egyptian Premier League will resume in the coming period. The suspension was necessary and gave everybody the opportunity to show their support for the families of the Port Said victims. "I trust that the Premier League will resume soon; but it has to wait until the investigation into the Port Said incident is completed,” el-Banani said. Al-Ahly has declared that the first week of each February would be known as ‘Al-Ahly Martyrs Week'. The Premier League has been suspended; most soccer clubs postponed all their activities and declared 40 days of mourning. Al-Ahly's mourning period will end on March 11. Some media reports stated that the League could resume in empty stadiums on March 15. "The date has yet to be decided," el-Banani added. EFA spokesman Azmi Megahed said that Premier League club representatives met last Wednesday and agreed that the League would resume this season, but only if those responsible for the Port Said massacre were referred to the Criminal Court. "Most clubs agreed that the League should only resume when the investigation into the massacre was completed and the guilty parties charged," Megahed said, stressing that otherwise there was no chance of resuming the tournament, as this would result in a public outcry. He pointed out that the League's resumption did not only depend on the clubs. "The decision is in the hands of the security authority, and first we must get the Interior Ministry's approval," Megahed told CNN recently. He explained that the meeting last week authorised the committee managing the EFA to take the necessary action as far as Al-Masry club was concerned, while the Fédération Internationale de Football (FIFA) had to study the situation before issuing the punishment. "This is based on the fact that the regulations of the Egyptian Football Association don't mention the kind of punishment appropriate for what happened in Port Said," he added. "The clubs attending last Wednesday's meeting complained about the financial losses incurred over the recent period and demanded compensation if the Premier League were to be cancelled altogether," he said.
