Baladeya president Mahmoud Al-Shami still hopes that his side's Egyptian League game against Ahli on Monday will be played in Mahalla. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Saturday that the game has been switched to Tanta due to security concerns. Al-Shami believes there is no need for such a switch. "I think the security concerns in Mahalla are over. It is not necessary to stage our league matches outside the city," he told FilGoal.com on Sunday. "The security forces are keeping everything under control. Nothing inappropriate happened in Mahalla over the past two weeks." Baladeya and Ghazl Mahalla weren't able to play in their respective venues over the past few weeks due to security concerns. The Egyptian interior ministry deemed the city unsuitable to host any matches these days. The decision comes as a consequence of the riots that occurred after the general strike which Egyptian people tried to implement on April sixth. "The EFA will hold an emergency meeting today to consider my request of holding the match in Mahalla," Al-Shami added. Ahli need a draw to secure a fourth successive Egyptian League title.
