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The head of the Egyptian Football Association reveals the truth
Hany Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, has explained why he pushed to increase the number of clubs taking part in African competitions. His request, he insisted, was never about Egypt alone but about every nation that reached the World Cup and the highest-ranked associations.
Speaking on television, Abo Rida said the demand was about keeping pace with the way global tournaments are evolving. The 2026 World Cup featured 48 teams, with talk of expanding future editions even further.
Some call him an Ahly man, others a Zamalek man, he said, but in the end he works for Egyptian football as a whole. The proposal has had a preliminary study, though several associations pushed back, reluctant to change at this stage.
Talks with CAF president Patrice Motsepe have been going on for some time. The question of increasing the number of clubs, he confirmed, has now gone to the executive office for approval next season, once it has been studied fully in line with marketing and commercial circumstances and the African calendar.
Mahmoud El Khatib, president of Al Ahly, never contacted him about the plan, Abo Rida added. Any official chasing progress, he argued, looks to the future and the good of Egyptian football, not the interests of one specific club.
Zamalek’s administration, he confirmed, worked hard to settle 18 cases at FIFA before 25 July. They got their paperwork in order before the final deadline. Some clubs across the continent asked to extend the cut-off for the continental licence, but CAF flatly refused.
The Football Association backed no one, he stressed. It favours nobody and stands at an equal distance from everyone, with the good of Egyptian football above every other consideration. Zamalek paid huge sums because they submitted their players’ registration papers last season.
He concluded: “We rescheduled the overdue dues for several clubs and not just Zamalek, within the framework of cooperation between the Football Association and the rest of the clubs and out of care for all Egyptian clubs.”
