Ahli will no longer allow journalists to enter the club's headquarters after accusing them of publishing 'invented stories' about the team, coach Hossam Al-Badri said on Wednesday. A row erupted between Ahli's veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan an Egyptian newspaper after it quoted him as saying that Al-Badri is a 'bad coach'. The Egypt skipper, whose relationship with Al-Badri is reportedly strained, firmly denied the quotes attributed to him during a heated live discussion on Tuesday night. "The journalists will not be permitted to enter the club," Al-Badri said after Ahli claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Petrojet in the Egyptian Premier League. "We should put an end to the invented stories they publish about our team on a regular basis. "I was misquoted before and the players are consistently misinterpreted, so I prohibited them from speaking to any reporters."
Ahli defeat Petrojet Hassan, who has been one of Ahli's key players since joining in the summer of 2008 after his contract with Belgian giants Anderlecht expired, is currently nursing a serious knee injury he picked up in Egypt's 1-1 draw with Sierra Leone in the Nations Cup qualifiers in September. The Red Devils needed an acrobatic effort from forward Geddo to maintain their unbeaten run against a resolute Petrojet side. They allayed their African woes after exiting the Champions League last week following a semi-final defeat by Tunisian side Esperance. "We had morale problems following the loss to Esperance, so the win tonight was very important," Al-Badri added. "The players proved that they can overcome any defeat. This win will be a turning point in our domestic campaign." Defending champions Ahli, who eye a seventh consecutive league title, have 14 points from six games, three behind leaders and arch-rivals Zamalek who played two games more.
