Injuries, Legal Battles, and Maaloul’s Revival – Al Ahly’s Week from Hell!

Tunisian left back Ali Maaloul's received boost with return to Al Ahly’s squad following the dismissal of head coach Marcel Koller after the club’s CAF Champions league semi final exit at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns.

Interim coach Emad El Nahhas, now in charge following Koller’s departure included Maaloul in the squad for Wednesday’s league title phase match against Petrojet.

This's Maaloul’s first league appearance of the season after fully recovering from serious Achilles injury suffered in May.

During his recovery Maaloul featured in matches with the youth team in the Capital cup under the instructions of former coach Koller.

Now with Al Ahly suffering from multiple injuries in the left back position , with Karim El Debes & Yahya Attiat Allah both sidelined , Maaloul could even start the game.

Contract Dispute Between Al Ahly & Marcel Koller Far From Over

Despite Al Ahly’s ceremonial farewell for Marcel Koller on Monday , in which club president Mahmoud El Khatib awarded him commemorative jersey & shield , the financial dispute remains unresolved.

The club maintains that the Swiss coach's owed 440,000 euros, equivalent to 2 months salary.

However Koller’s legal team insists he's entitled to 3.08 million euro which represents the full remainder of his contract through Jun 2026.

According to reports, the farewell was symbolic but doesn't signal the end of the legal issue as both sides interpret the contract terms differently.

Koller’s Achievements With Al Ahly

Since taking charge in Sep 2022, Koller led Al Ahly to 11 major trophies including:

• 2 CAF Champions League titles
• 2 Egyptian Premier league titles
• 2 Egypt Cups
• 4 Egyptian Super Cups
• 1 African Super Cup

However , his failure to reach this year’s CAF Champions league final, coupled with his early exit triggered his dismissal and this contractual conflict.

Maaloul’s Future Still Unclear

Maaloul now 35 years old, is out of contract at the end of this season and his future with the red devils's still undecided.

However sources inside the club suggest he could feature from the start against Petrojet following impressive return to full training.

Al Ahly’s management now faces key decisions , including appointing new head coach and resolving player contracts , as the team prepares for its FIFA Club World cup campaign this summer in the United States.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.