After the completion of the first round of matches in the Egyptian championship, and also after the distribution of teams into two groups - one for the title fight and places in the European competitions, and the other to avoid relegation to the second division, a fierce battle between the two largest clubs in the country is revived. The match will be held at 11:30 AM Cairo time - a championship meeting between 'Zamalek' and 'Al Ahly' takes place in Cairo.
However, the selected method for deciding the schedules raises doubts among representatives of the Workers' Union: 'The method that was announced raises many suspicions within the Workers' Union.' At 'Zamalek', officials expressed their discontent with the methods of managing the tournament, especially from the point of view of the judges' oversight. Former player of the team and current member of the technical committee of the club Ahmed Hassan 'Mido' attacked the Association of Clubs and the Egyptian Football Federation for pre-determined mistakes, which, according to his opinion, deprived 'Zamalek' of leadership in the standings.
After 17 days since the first meeting, which ended in a 1-1 draw, 'Al Ahly' and 'Zamalek' meet again. This meeting will be the 130th in the history of matches between clubs in the Egyptian league since its establishment in the 1948-1949 season. 'Al Ahly' has achieved 50 victories against 28 for 'Zamalek', while 51 matches have ended in a draw. 'Al Ahly' scored 168 goals, while 'Zamalek' scored 114.
This is the fourth confrontation between the teams this season after three previous draws, including a match in September in the Coral Super Cup of Africa and a match in February. Matches in the second round will begin, and 'Zamalek' will play against 'Al Ahly' in the first round, which could have key significance for the outcome of the title race. The deciding stage consists of 8 rounds and ends at the beginning of June. The announcement of match schedules unexpectedly triggered severe reactions among fans of both teams, as the Workers' Union did not disclose the method of selecting the schedule or invited club representatives to the draw.
The head of the Workers' Union, Ahmed Diab, stated in an interview that the draw was conducted using artificial intelligence, relying on the tournament table of the first round, which only intensified criticism directed at the organization. An insider from 'Al Ahly' stated that the club was extremely discontent with the manner of presenting the second round schedule.
