The debate that took place between former Al-Ahly star Sayed Abdel Hafeez and the sports journalist representing Zamalek Club Ahmed Afifi ignited social media in Egypt, as the fans of each team tried to prove that the one representing it was the one who emerged victorious in the debate.
The journalist Ibrahim Fayek, through his program, conducted the debate, which dealt with many thorny issues, including favoritism for one team over the other, the Real Century Club, and other files related to the so-called “conflict of interest,” player transfers, as well as the upcoming summit match between Al-Ahly and Zamalek.
Summit match
Ahmed Afifi commented that the issue of Zamalek withdrawing from the next summit match is due to the irregularity of the league championship schedule, and said, “I cannot make Zamalek wrong in its decision not to play the summit match.” He continued: “The Egyptian League is being held without any system or justice.”
On the other hand, Sayed Abdel Hafeez responded by stressing that postponing any match is in accordance with the regulations that apply to all clubs, which is what Zamalek and all clubs participating in the African championships benefited from. Abdel Hafeez said in television statements that Zamalek objects to an order that it was the first to violate, and played matches with some teams in the second round before the first round. The former football director at Al-Ahly added that the Zamalek club management is demanding that he do something that he did not do in the first place. Abdel Hafeez wondered: If Zizou’s goal had been counted in the Al-Masry match, and Zamalek had won, would the club have issued this statement in the first place?
Conflict of interests
Among the most prominent aspects of the debate was Afifi’s statement that Al-Ahly benefited from the presidency of Hassan Hamdy, who was head of Al-Ahram Advertising Agency, to which Abdel Hafeez responded that Zamalek achieved the largest number of championships in this period by winning the league title 3 times in 4 seasons, which is what It did not happen throughout its history. Rather, he added that the president of the Football Association at one time, Haider Pasha, was president of Zamalek at the same time.
Century Club
The debate witnessed a great debate between the two guests, as Afifi stressed that Zamalek was the champion of the Horn of Africa in the 20th century, stressing that there was no room for doubt about that, given that the “White” team had won the most championships in the African continent at that time. Sayed Abdel Hafeez responded, indicating that the African Union did not compliment Al-Ahly, especially since “CAF” set the regulations for selecting the Champion of the Century since 1994, the year in which Al-Ahly withdrew from participating in the continental championships after losing to Zamalek in the African Super Cup in the same year, pointing out that It was logical for CAF to express its anger and amend the regulations against Al-Ahly.
Arbitration
Afifi pointed out that Al-Ahly receives constant support in all files, which makes the scales unequal, and it always has an advantage over its competitors. He said: “Whenever there is tension from Al-Ahly fans, there is a red line that calls for intervention, while if any referee commits a mistake against the team, that will be the end of it, which does not happen with Zamalek.” Said Abdel Hafeez had no choice but to say to his counterpart: “List the name of any Egyptian referee and I will tell you his mistakes with Al-Ahly,” to which Afifi responded, “I don’t remember.”
Al-Ahly and Zamalek fans shared their respective statements to prove that they were the ones who won the debate, but they came out shaking hands and confirmed that they were documented views and facts, but that ignited the atmosphere of the expected summit between the two clubs scheduled for next Tuesday in the event that Zamalek retracts its decision to withdraw.