Understandably, there was no love lost between Ahli's fans and under-fire tactician Hossam Al-Badri over the past few months, but the ever-demanding supporters ought to cut interim boss Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi 'Zizo' some slack during his brief tenure. Al-Badri, who resigned as head coach following an embarrassing 3-1 defeat by Ismaili, should have quit his job long before the Egyptian Premier League match, given Ahli's lackluster performances and string of unsatisfying results on all fronts this season. Presumably with good intentions, however, he opted to remain at the Red Devils' helm and keep fighting against all odds, a decision that increased the frustration of the club's devotees and eventually urged them to chant against him from the stands near the end of Sunday's game in Ismailia. Amid a lot of tension, out of the blue, Zizo became in charge of the Cairo side on a temporary basis. He's expected to manage the senior team for around a half-dozen competitive matches till the club appoint a foreign manager on the halfway mark. The pro-Ahli football fanatics were powerful enough to force Al-Badri into stepping down, and now they should use their immense influence to fully back Zizo during his mission.
Ahli's supporters mustn't expect Zizo to lead a turnaround in the fortunes of the six-time African champions at such short notice, especially with a squad riddled with injuries and players still abysmally affected by their poor run of form. But more importantly, they have to keep in mind the current circumstances and the real objective of the caretaker coach. The ardent supporters mustn't expect the former Ahli star to lead a turnaround in the fortunes of the six-time African champions at such short notice, especially with a squad riddled with injuries and players still abysmally affected by their poor run of form. It's a transitional period which Zizo will try to lead the Egyptian champions through without losses, and considering the situation, keeping pace with arch-rivals and league leaders Zamalek would be a great feat for him. No one should expect him to comfortably go clear on top for instance. The 57-year-old, who was chief of Ahli's youth sector before succeeding Al-Badri, can only pave the way for his successor to get the capital giants up and running. That's simply the task he should be judged according to by fans and pundits alike. Zizo's spell in the hot seat will be short but definitely crucial, seeing that Ahli's domestic campaign will only be saved should he keep the team on an even keel these days.
