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Egypt’s Al-Ahly back in training

02-20-2012

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Egyptian club side Al- Ahly started training on Monday 20^th February for the first time since the Port Said tragedy that took place on February 1^st. Al-Ahly resumed playing football by observing a minute of silence in remembrance of the tragic event. Ahly’s Portuguese manager Manuel Jose led a light training session as the players try to regain their physical and technical fitness levels after a long break.

Jose also arranged another the team training session to be conducted after the first one as the country tries to get back to football after an indefinite stop to all football following the Port Said tragedy. About 74 fans were killed and hundreds injured in a post-match riots when Ahly played hosts Al-Masry in Egyptian Premier League.

Ahly was expected back in training last Friday, but the players asked for more time and Jose decided to give them further 48 hours of rest before the team resumed training on Monday. Al-Ahly is expected to travel to Qatar or UAE this week for further preparation.

Ahly voted African Club of the Century is getting ready for their 2012 Orange CAF Champions League campaign. The Egyptian side will meet the aggregate winner of the encounter between Comoros’ Coin Nord FC and Ethiopian Coffee FC.

Meanwhile it’s still unclear whether midfielder Mohamed Barakat will continue his career with the team after he announced his retirement due to impact of the tragedy. Barakat attended Monday’s training but didn’t take part but he had a closed meeting with manager Jose, football director Sayed Abdel Hafiz and team psychiatrist Dr. Mohamed Fikry afterwards. The player refused to speak to press, while Abdel Hafiz said that they are trying to convince to carry on playing and come out of retirement.

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