Hossam Al-Badri reveled in the success of Ahli when he was an assistant to Manuel Jose but the Portuguese coach's departure in the summer of 2009 left a big void which he failed to fill. The 50-year-old resigned from his post as Ahli manager on Monday after his side slumped to a 3-1 defeat at bitter foes Ismaili which prematurely ended his tenure at the helm of Egypt and Africa's most successful club. Jose, who left Ahli after earning a cult status among their faithful, led the team to a memorable 4-0 defeat of Ismaili in 2006 but Al-Badri's team were outclassed at the same Ismailia venue four years later. They looked short of pace and ideas, giving too much space to Ismaili's lively forwards to launch a wave of attacks and dismantle an already shaky defense which featured 18-year-old debutant Mohamed Abdul-Fattah, whose inexperience enabled the visitors to expose him and enjoy a free ride on Ahli's left flank. Ahli's ageing stars, including Mohamed Abou-Treika, Wael Gomaa and ex-Ismaili man Mohamed Barakat appeared glum after realizing that, under Al-Badri, they are no longer the deadly weapons of a star-studded side. "Al-Badri's resignation is a timely one. He comforted himself and comforted the angry fans," renowned pundit Hassan Al-Mestekawi said in a television interview after Ahli suffered their first league defeat of the season at the hands of an enthusiastic Ismaili side. "I wasn't surprised with his decision because his relationship with Ahli's fans has already reached a dead end. The team suffered a notable dip in form which the fans cannot accept. "There is also, obviously, something wrong in the relationship between Al-Badri and his players." Classy playmaker Abou-Treika, who blossomed under Jose but struggled to remain consistent after Al-Badri took over, increased pressure on his boss when he said recently that he only felt comfortable when playing under Jose or Egypt coach Hassan Shehata. Ahli's disgruntled supporters, who lifted a banner to criticize Al-Badri during the last-gasp 3-2 victory over ENPPI earlier this month, chanted 'enough' after their team lost at Ismaili for the second time this season, having been beaten 4-2 in the Champions League group stage.
Abou-Treika played 'more comfortably' under Jose Unconvincing Al-Badri has been living in the shadow of Jose since succeeding him in the summer of 2009, with the fans consistently drawing comparisons between them. He was under immense pressure to replicate the heroics of his predecessor but was largely unconvincing for the ever-demanding supporters despite winning the league title, a sixth successive one, in his first season in charge. Many Ahli fans believed he should have led the team to their favorite triumph in a more convincing manner after the Red Devils dropped many points in the second half of the season to allow arch rivals Zamalek, who were languishing in the bottom three at some point, to launch a late title challenge. His cause was not helped when Ahli failed to win the Egyptian Cup after losing to Harras Hodoud in the final, albeit on penalties. The club's board of directors naturally kept faith with him but the fans ran out of patience after a stuttering start to the season. Ahli exited the African Champions League at the semi-final stage after producing an awful and bad-tempered display against Tunisia's Esperance before drawing 1-1 away to lowly Gouna in the domestic league and losing to Ismaili. "We didn't have any intention to sack Al-Badri, we were going to stand by him but the pressure was too big," Ahli's transfer guru Adli Al-Qaeyi said on Monday night. "Everything was going well last season but this term Al-Badri could not handle the pressure. "Zamalek dropped the same number of points but everyone there is standing by (coach) Hossam Hassan. Even when he loses they still appreciate his efforts."
No longer support Al-Badri Criticism Al-Badri was criticized by many for his tactics and inability to make the most of Ahli's big-name summer signings which included Egypt's Nations Cup hero Geddo and experienced midfielders Hossam Ghaly and Mohamed Shawky. He also switched the positions of some key players, including Ahmed Fathi who made no secret of his disappointment at having to play as a right-back while he prefers to do his trademark hard work in the centre of midfield. Natural deep-lying forward Geddo often drifted to the wing to lose the goalscoring ability that saw him finish last January's Nations Cup as the top scorer with five goals. Many of Ahli fans voiced their pleasure on internet fan forums after Al-Badri submitted his resignation. "Finally it's done! We can now breathe a sigh of relief," said one posting, while another asked: "Can we bring back Jose?" Jose's current employers, Ittihad Jeddah of Saudi Arabia, quickly refuted any rumors indicating that the 64-year-old can make a shock return to Ahli, the club he led to a host of local and continental titles. Ahli said a final decision on Al-Badri's successor will be made by Wednesday, with reports saying former Ismaili coach Ricardo Ferreira of Brazil is a frontrunner to take up the prestigious post. Whoever comes in will have to lift the heavy burden of emulating the huge success of Jose.
