The infamous saga surrounding Egypt midfielder Hosni Abd-Rabou and his controversial move to Ahli resulted in some shameful consequences that could be suggesting that football in Egypt is getting out of control. The Strasbourg midfielder was loaned to his old club Ismaili last season but the Dervishes failed to keep him on permanent basis, so Ahli popped up and clinched the Egypt international. The previous scenario normally happens in the world of football, but the story recently took an abnormal switch that is more likely to be seen in an action movie. The reaction shown by Ismaili fans after the player announced that he has signed for their rivals brings an alert that we could be heading into a football 'Mafia' era. The Ismaili fans could not bear to see their star man move into a bigger club, so they attacked his parents' home and the 23-year-old received death threats from some angry fans. The problem escalated to an extent which forced the player to revert on his decision and reveal that he is willing to sacrifice a dream move for any Egyptian player just to protect his family. The question is; will Ismaili fans guarantee success when Abd-Rabou is 'enforced' to re-join the team? Or will the midfield star becomes an employee working for the fans and doing his job just to fulfill their wishes? Apart from the fuming fans' acts, the player's situation is also questionable, after he has signed a contract to join Ahli from Strasbourg; he announces his desire to stay with Ismaili and then celebrates with the fans as if he has become a champion!
If FIFA approved his move to Ahli, the player will seal a big move for himself, and he will also be forgiven by the angry fans because he has already shown his loyalty! After Ismaili have raised the case to FIFA, Abd-Rabou's personal ambitions are unlikely to influence the decision of the world's governing body because a deal has been already agreed between Strasbourg, Ahli and the player himself. Ismail claimed that a due amount of 500,000 Euros has been paid to the French side in order to keep Abd-Rabou permanently at Ismailia, but Strasbourg denied that they have received the fee on time. Consequently, the FIFA was recalled to resolve this specific case, either by approving Ismaili's payment or backing Strasbourg on their decision to sell the midfielder to Ahli. Abd-Rabou, who ironically never won a trophy with Ismaili, seemingly did all that to clear himself and cleverly get a positive outcome in both cases. If FIFA approved his move to Ahli, the player will seal a big move for himself, and he will also be forgiven by the angry fans because he has already shown his loyalty! On the other hand, if he was given the green light re-join Ismaili, he will be the local hero of the decade in Ismailia. However, it is inevitable that if he joined Ahli, the Red fans will never forget the fact that he is playing for the team and his heart is with their arch rivals and if he joined Ismaili, he will be under massive pressure to produce heroics in order to deliver trophies.
