Ahli assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri admitted that his players' performance in the 3-1 victory over Suez Cement in the Egyptian league was affected by the "fear of injury". Al-Badri said that Ahli's players were not at their best in Monday's match because of the pressure that is surrounding the team ahead of the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC). "The players are worried," Al-Badri told reporters after the game. "They don't want to get injured and miss out on the privilege of representing Ahli and Egypt in the upcoming CWC. "The overall performance and result was alright, but we could have done better," he added.
Al-Badri African champions Ahli have qualified for the CWC, which will take place in Japan between December 10th and 17th, for the second successive time. "In the locker room, the coaching staff tries to differentiate the two competitions, but on the pitch, the players are still worried," said Al-Badri. Al-Badri noted that things will not get any easier for the title holders. "I think the match against Olympic Alexandria on December 1st will be worse because it's our last match before we head to Japan," he said. "It will be very intense." Ahli kick-off their CWC campaign against Oceania champions Auckland City FC of New Zealand.
