Ismaili president Nasr Aboul-Hassan said coach Ricardo Ferreira would remain in his post despite reports suggesting otherwise. "Ismaili will play several important games during the upcoming period so we need Ricardo to remain at the helm," Aboul-Hassan told FilGoal.com on Friday. Brazilian Ricardo was appointed as Ismaili boss last September in a bid to turn around the team's fortunes. But under his guidance, The Dervishes lost three matches and drew once in the Egyptian Premier League as their hopes of competing for the title faded. They lie fourth in the 16-team table on 32 points, seven behind leaders and fierce rivals Ahli, who have a game in hand. Egyptian coach Mohsen Saleh, who led Ismaili to their last league title in 2002, has been linked with a return to the coastal club following their recent disappointing results. But it now seems that Ismaili will give Ricardo another chance to justify his appointment. Forgotten Stars Aboul-Hassan has also revealed that Ricardo would rely on Ismaili's forgotten starts in the coming matches. The former Hilal tactician was heavily criticized for keeping defender Sherif Abdul-Fadil and Ismaili's top scorer Mostafa Karim on the bench for unidentified reasons. "Football director Ihab Galal met with Ricardo and both agreed that that the stars should regain their place in the team's squad," Aboul-Hassan concluded.
