Ahly could withdraw from Egypt's Super Cup

Egyptian club Ahly will not be able to participate in Egypt's Super Cup match on 8 September as the recent advertising problems with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) are still ongoing. Ahly, who were Egyptian Premier League winners in 2011, are supposed to face Egypt Cup holders ENPPI in the annual curtain-raiser of the season, but disputes over sponsoring rights could threaten the participation of the league heroes. The current sponsor of Ahly is Egypt's third biggest mobile network company Etisalat, while mobile market leader Vodafone Egypt is the sponsor of the activities of the EFA, like the Super Cup. Each party, Ahly and EFA, is sticking with its sponsors' rights, reducing the chances of seeing the Cairo giants playing the match. The Red Devils’ board will hold a meeting on Tuesday to announce their final decision regarding that game. If the problem persists, the club management will have no choice but to withdraw. League activities in Egypt were halted following the death of at least 70 fans in Egypt's worst sports disaster earlier this February, until a decision by the interior ministry in late August which gave the EFA the green light to hold the Super Cup with minimal fan attendance.(ahram)