CAIRO - Hossam el-Badri, Al-Ahly's new technical coach, is delighted to have come to an agreement to coach the Red Devils for two seasons, stressing that returning to Ahly is a big challenge. “I am very happy to be returning to coach Ahly again, starting from the 2012-2013 season,” el-Badri told the club's official website, adding that he is relying on the fans to support the team in the coming period. The 52-year-old's return to Ahly is the second stint as the Red Devils' tactician, as he had assumed the responsibility for the team from 2009 to late 2010, leading Ahly to win the 2009-2010 Egyptian Premier League and the 2010 Egypt Super Cup. On 21 November 2010, el-Badri resigned from Ahly and went to coach the El-Merreikh of Sudan, leading them to win the 2011 Sudanese Premier League. He then returned to Egypt last December to coach the petroleum side Enppi. El-Badri had resigned from the Red Devils after a 3-1 Egyptian Premier League loss to Ismaili in the 2010-2011 season. “I love the Ahly fans and I am confident that they will do their best to support the team,” he stressed. Meanwhile, Manuel José da Silva announced on Friday his departure from the Red Devils, after an 18-month stint, because sports activities have been suspended in the country since last February. “I wanted to end my career with Ahly but the recent circumstances in the country have pushed me to make my decision,” José told a press conference. "The situation in Egypt is very difficult. Everyone is interested in politics, no-one talks about football. Who know what will happen to the country's football tournaments? I cannot get money from Ahly without working. "I plan to spend two more years as a trainer with another club," the 66-year-old tactician explained. The cancellation of the 2011-12 Premier League season, the Martyrs' Cup and the Egypt Cup has made matters more difficult for any coach anxious to keep his players in tip-top condition. On February 1, in the coastal city of Port Said, an Egyptian Premier League match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly turned violent, claiming the lives of at least 74 Ahly fans and injuring around 1,000 more. As a result, in early March, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) cancelled the Premier League 2011-12 season, and the Martyrs' Cup and Egypt Cup, after Al-Ahly Ultras groups threatened to cause trouble in the stadiums, if the tournament and the Egypt Cup went ahead before the perpetrators of the massacre in Port Said punished. The Portuguese coach achieved a very impressive 21 trophies with the Red Devils (four African tournaments, four Super African tournaments, six Egyptian Premier Leagues, two Egypt Cups, four Egypt Super Cups and the bronze medal in the World Cup for Clubs. At the same time, Al-Ahly club board have decided to announce Tuesday at a press conference the coaching staff who will assist el-Badri. According to sources at the Red Devils, el-Badri will keep Sayyed Abdel-Hafez as the team football director and Mohamed Youssef as assistant coach, while Osama Orabi will be the general coach and Tareq Soleiman the goalkeepers' coach. "Returning to Al-Ahly is a new challenge for me, as replacing Manuel José for the second time will be a difficult task," el-Badri added in his comments to the club's official site. He explained that he will visit José before the latter leaves Egypt, stressing that the Portuguese coach is one of the best tacticians, from whom he personally learned a lot. El-Badri's coaching credentials: 2005-2009: Al-Ahly football director 2009-2010: Al-Ahly coach 2011: Al-Merreikh of Sudan technical coach 2011-2012: Enppi coach 2012-present: Al-Ahly coach
