Ahly to punish Brazilian striker Junior

Egyptian champions Ahly are to punish their Brazilian striker Fabio Junior for failing to attend training. “The player was in Brazil on vacation and was excused for missing training on Tuesday due to a ticketing problem, but was set to attend Wednesday’s session,” football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz was quoted as saying on the club’s official website. “He will be punished for not attending according to our regulations.” The morning training session witnessed the return of striker Emad Meteb after his recovery from an ear inflammation, while El-Sayed Hamdy is still out with a cold. Abdel-Hafiz will meet a representative from the Egyptian Football Association today to reach an agreement about which Ahly players will be called-up for national duty. Ahly announced yesterday that they would not release any player during the league stoppage as they play four friendlies ahead of their anticipated showdown with Ismaily, while the national team is due to hold a closed training camp and playing two friendlies during the same period.