Ahly's Wael Gomaa (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt's former veteran defender Wael Gomaa has officially resigned from his post as Ahly's football director, the club announced on Tuesday.
"The board has decided to accept Gomaa's resignation. Football sector manager Alaa Abdel-Sadek will be in charge of both posts in the upcoming period," Ahly said in a statement on its official website.
After a recent bust-up with team stars Hossam Ghaly and Abdallah El-Said, Ahly's management decided to give Gomaa a "vacation" ahead of last week's African Confederation Cup clash in Tunisia.
Ahly lost 1-0 to Etoile du Sahel on 8 August in the fourth game of the group stage in Africa's secondary club competition.
Many local reports suggested that the 40-year-old Gomaa had resigned or been sacked after his absence from the Tunisia trip, but management kept silent until the squad's return to Cairo.
After quitting football last summer, Gomaa joined Ahly's technical staff at the start of the 2014/2015 season.
The Reds lost a bid for their ninth successive Egyptian Premier League trophy to archrivals Zamalek.
Gomaa, "The Rock", who won his nickname for his solid defending, joined Ahly in 2001 from Mahalla to play an instrumental role in guiding the team to win 26 domestic and continental titles.
At the international level, Gomaa was a key figure on the Pharaohs team in the last decade, guiding them to win three successive Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
Gomaa worked as the football director under the guidance of Ahly's former coach Juan Carlos Garrido and remained in his post after current coach Fathi Mabrouk took the lead.
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