With the increasingly fluctuating political status in Egypt, the FA will be facing one hell of a job keeping league fixtures flowing against any unforeseen hurdle this season. An unprecedented 19-club campaign couldn't have come at a worse time for the FA, or shall we say by the FA. Annulling relegation last season was a crucial decision by the association's officials and now they will have to deal with ramifications. It is thought by many that Samir Zaher's board only came up with the league expansion plan for the sake of Ittihad, who were ‘too great to be relegated'. Now it seems that such a ridiculous reason makes sense as it is obvious that no one is benefiting other than Ittihad, Arab Contractors and Smouha, with the latter duo still looking firm favorites for relegation. Matches are being postponed on short notice and it is always the same explanation by the FA; ‘The orders came from a higher authority'. Teams like MCDR and Bani Suef Telephones are struggling to find a venue for their home games against big teams as their respective stadiums aren't fit to host the likes of Ahli, Zamalek or Ismaili. With nearly 30 weeks remaining until the end of the season, the league table looks like a total mess. Some teams have already played 10 games while others are on six and the number of rescheduled matches is consistently on the up. 2012 One significant fact says that this season's fixture list has not been published in full, simply reflecting that the FA has no idea how it will look like in 2012. Ahli and Zamalek will play in the CAF Champions League and two more Egyptian clubs will take part in the Confederation Cup, which means more rescheduled games in the 36-week season. After Zamalek's last game against Masri was moved, Competitions Committee chief Amer Hussein said: “The delay will create a problem because Zamalek already have a match postponed from the first week against Wadi Degla.” Remember it's still week 6 for Zamalek, there is no continental commitment yet and they have two fixtures unexpectedly moved….and they are calling it a problem. Apart from that, Egypt will play in the qualifiers of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and 2014 World Cup in February and June, and as usual, the domestic competition will be put on hold for weeks. In 2012, there will be more political issues, more security concerns, more unexpected obstacles, more postponed games and more forced breaks. Good luck Zaher and Co.!
