Ahli coach Hossam Al-Badri fumed at the Egyptian FA following his side's 1-1 draw at Harras Hodoud, accusing them of 'trying to prevent the team from winning the league title'. The Red Devils failed to beat Hodoud for the third time this season, having lost to them in the Super Cup before settling for a 1-1 draw in Cairo in the reverse league fixture in August last year. In Thursday's clash in Alexandria, Hodoud took the lead after eight minutes through Ahmed Abdul-Ghani in controversial fashion. The towering striker, who appeared in an offside position in the build-up to the goal, sent in a low cross that caused havoc in the Ahli area before Ahmed Eid pounced to fire a low shot past keeper Sherif Ekrami. Ahli secured a share of spoils when Egypt striker Emad Meteb notched home shortly after the restart but Al-Badri was left fuming. "I usually don't attend post-match conferences, but I came here to ask the EFA some questions," Al-Badri, who allows his assistants to speak to media instead of him following league games, said.
Hodoud hold Ahli in Alexandria "Are you trying to prevent Ahli from winning the title? The referee's decisions today indicate that the EFA is conspiring against us. "Hodoud's goal was offside, the referee should have disallowed it. "Our opponents repeatedly fouled my players and wasted time, but no decision was taken against them." Al-Badri, who took over at Ahli following the resignation of Manuel Jose last summer, then stormed out of the conference room. It remains to be seen whether the EFA would sanction the 49-year-old for his outburst. Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan was caught yelling at the referee during his side's 1-0 victory over Arab Contractors on Wednesday in a round that witnessed several complaints against refereeing decisions. Ahli, who eye a sixth successive league crown, are on top of the table with 39 points, eight ahead of second-placed Ismaili who played two games less than their bitter rivals.
