Photo courtesy of Al Ahly FC
The Egyptian Premier League defending champions have endured a shaky campaign this season, including a 2-1 defeat to Talae El-Geish that saw the team drop to third place in the league standings with 40 points.
They trail second-placed Pyramids FC and leaders Zamalek by three points, with the latter set to face Enppi on Wednesday.
"El-Khatib has decided to deduct 30 percent from the first-team players' salaries, with an additional 25 percent of their contract value suspended until the team's position in the league and CAF Champions League title races is determined," the Cairo giants said in a statement.
In a bid to improve continental fortunes, the club has also brought forward the team’s departure to Tunisia for the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarter-finals against Esperance.
The delegation will now depart Cairo Airport this coming Thursday instead of Friday, a move intended to grant the technical staff extra time to prepare for the highly anticipated encounter.
The club further added that El-Khatib has tasked vice-president Yassin Mansour and board member Sayed Abdel Hafeez with launching an urgent evaluation of all personnel within the football sector.
"This directive also involves studying a complete restructuring of the sector across the first team, youth sectors, women's football, and academies, to align with the club's and its fans' ambitions for the coming period," the club added.
Ahly have spent heavily in the transfer market, recruiting more than a dozen players, including Egypt internationals Mahmoud Trezeguet and Ahmed "Zizo" El Sayed. The Cairo giants also added Moroccan winger Achraf Bencharki, compatriot Youssef Belammari, and Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane to their ranks.
Despite the influx of talent, the club have failed to meet expectations. Ahly have cycled through three managers this season, starting with Spaniard Jose Riveiro and interim coach Emad El Nahhas, before appointing Denmark’s Jess Thorup in October.
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