The 71-year-old CAF Executive Committee member Abo Rida won the EFA elections with his whole slate, which includes eight members, through acclamation.

The outcome of the board member elections will be officially determined at the EFA's general assembly, scheduled for 10 December. The new board will then start its mission.

Upon unveiling his slate in a press conference on Saturday, Abo Rida announced his strategy for his second term as the EFA president.

"I came with a definite work strategy. We have our vision, and the most important thing is determining work priorities inside the football association," Abo Rida said.

Commenting on Hossam Hassan's recent rejection of the return of old officials to Egyptian football, Abo Rida insisted that he doesn't heed small talk.

"I am supporting coach Hossam Hassan, and results will be the determining factor," he added.

A former member of the EFA board for four terms, Abo Rida started his first term as the EFA president in 2016 before resigning after the Pharaohs' elimination from round 16 of the 2019 AFCON that was hosted at home.

Abo Rida also said comparing the state of Egyptian football to the advancements in Moroccan football in recent years is unfair and refused to take the blame for any setbacks suffered by Egyptian football.

"In the 2019 AFCON edition, Morocco also lost to Benin. Nevertheless, contrary to what happened in Egypt, Morocco's football association president Fouzi Lekjaa remained in his post. We were in an urgent need for more stability," the new EFA boss, who has also been a FIFA council member since 2017, explained.

"In my first term I had my own successes as we reached the 2017 AFCON finals for the first time in a while, and despite the low expectations for the national team, we already defeated heavyweights Ghana and Morocco and reached the final," he added.

Increasing fans' attendance
 

The new EFA president was also eager to stress that increasing the number of fans attending in the stands is a priority for his board.

Egyptian football games have been played behind closed doors for over a decade since the Port Said disaster that left 74 people killed in 2012.

The ban has been partially lifted over the past three years, with only limited numbers of fans allowed into the stadiums.

"Fans' return with full capacity will be important for us through collaboration with security authorities. We will work to see fans filling the stands like the 2006 AFCON tournament in Egypt," Abo Rida said.

Medical care file
 

In 2024, Egyptian football witnessed a tragedy as two football players, Kafr El Sheikh SC midfielder Mohamed Shawky and Modern Future FC player Ahmed Refaat, died after collapsing on the pitch.

The death of both players raised doubts about the medical preparedness at Egyptian football stadiums. According to Abo Rida, work on improving the medical issue would start immediately.

"The medical aspect is essential. There will be cooperation with the ministry of health to prepare a medical file for every player, and stadiums will be equipped with the best medical support to deal with similar incidents," he said.

Abo Rida finally said that developing the referees' performance and developing the different national teams will be among his board's priorities.

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