1- Jose's return On the first day of the year, Manuel Jose was reinstalled at Ahli's helm for a third stint, with six points separating the league holders from then-leaders Zamalek. It was an appointment met by sheer relief from the Reds' fans, while Zamalek patrons began to feel anxious about the return of the man who consistently tormented their team in recent years. Jose was quick to announce that he cannot promise to win the league title though, yet he managed to snatch top spot from under the noses of Hossam Hassan's Zamalek, who only had themselves to blame for dropping too many points for the sake of their arch-rivals. The comeback was completed on July 7 when Jose's men overwhelmed lowly Arab Contractors 5-1 for a seventh straight title and a sixth for the Portuguese. 2-The invasion An infamous incident taking place at the heart of the Egyptian capital on April 2, simply embodied security deterioration in football matches during the year, sending a clear warning note when the domestic league was due to resume a fortnight later. It was the first major game to be held in Cairo after the January 25 Revolution as Zamalek hosted Club Africain in the Champions League round of 32, with the Tunisians leading 4-2 from the first leg. Zamalek could only win 2-1 and an early exit seemed looming with seconds remaining on the clock, only for an uncontrollable flood of hooliganism to break inside Cairo Stadium. Hundreds of Zamalek fans ran onto the pitch and tried to assault the visiting team and the match referee, who was forced to call the game off after escaping from the angry supporters. 3-First Egyptian to win Bundesliga Although he hardly played a role in the feat, Mohamed Zidan became the first Egyptian to win the German Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund in 2011. A 2-0 win over Nurnberg on April 30 sealed the title for Der BVB and Zidan celebrated his first trophy in 11 years of football in Europe.
Shehata ended glorious spell on a low note 4-Egypt's failure and Shehata's exit Reigning champions Egypt have failed to make it to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals - a tournament they won a record seven times - for the first time in their history. All Egyptian fans were dealt a major blow with the shock elimination from the biennial competition qualifiers, an exit that came as a normal outcome for the team's faltering displays and poor results against humble opponents like Sierra Leone and Niger. A major turning point in the huge upset was that demoralizing defeat in South Africa, where Katlego ‘killer' Mphela scored the winner with the last kick of the game on March 26, two months before it was all over with a goalless draw in Cairo. Consequently, Hassan Shehata's days as Egypt manager were over, putting an end to a glorious era that included an unprecedented three consecutive continental titles. Shehata left his post on June 6 as American Bob Bradley took over on September 24. 5-Zamalek sack Hassans, Shehata takes over After repeatedly being promised a new contract by the Zamalek board, Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan were shockingly shown the door on July 13, following their failure to end the club's six-year league-drought. The Zamalek board wouldn't have fancied a better chance to appoint a free-agent coach than club legend Shehata, who was unemployed following his Egypt exit. It was a surprise decision that triggered mixed reactions from the Whites' fans, with the majority backing Shehata to get the club out of its ordeal and others feeling sympathy for the departing Hassan. 6-No relegation After ‘confirming' that the bottom three clubs of the 2010-2011 Egyptian Premier League season will be normally demoted, the Egyptian FA announced on August 3 that relegation has been annulled. The big decision meant that for the first time in Egypt's history, the domestic competition will comprise 20 teams, a few weeks before the FA cut the number to 19.
ENPPI stunned Zamalek 7- ENPPI's cup shock Tuesday, October the 11th was a day to forget for every Zamalek fan after the Whites were shockingly denied their first trophy in three years. All odds backed Shehata's unbeaten side to pull off a final victory over ENPPI and bring the Egypt Cup home, amid an ecstatic atmosphere at a full-house Cairo Stadium covered in white. But ENPPI snatched the title with almost their only two attempts on target to win 2-1 and cause a major upset in the Egyptian capital. 8- Zamalek 100 years Despite the disappointments, it was a special year for Cairo giants Zamalek as the 11-time league champions celebrated their centenary in November 2011. The occasion was celebrated by a memorable ceremony followed by a friendly with Atletico Madrid at Cairo Stadium on November 10 and a 4-1 defeat was the only drawback of the day. 9-Ahmed Hassan's record On November 14, with 73 minutes on the clock in Egypt's friendly with Brazil in Doha, Ahmed Hassan became the world's most capped player by winning his178th cap. According to FIFA's Century Club, Hassan is level with former Mexico defender Claudio Suarez, which leaves the evergreen Egyptian one appearance away from breaking the record. 10-Egypt in Olympics For the first time in 20 years, an Egypt team will be competing in the Olympics after the U-23s had secured third place in the U-23 African Championship in Morocco. A 2-0 victory over Senegal on December 10 sent Hany Ramzy's men through to London, with the likes of Ahmed Al-Shennawi, Ahmed Hegazi and Mohamed Salah proving their credentials as hot prospects for the future with some eye-catching performances.
