Egyptian clubs Ahly have insisted that they are not backing any of the two presidential runoff candidates ahead of June’s much anticipated second round.

“Ahly – with its chairman, board of directors, technical staff and players – are focusing on our athletic mission and assert that we are not backing any candidate in Egypt’s upcoming presidential election runoff,” reads a statement on the club’s official website.

Egypt is witnessing its first genuine multi-candidate presidential elections since the January 25 Revolution that resulted in the ouster of strongman Hosni Mubarak. The second-round runoff on 16 and 17 June pits the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi against Hosni Mubarak’s last premier Ahmed Shafiq.

“The reports that were disseminated via social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, claiming that Ahly’s board or members back a particular candidate are completely unfounded. We are completely disengaged from the presidential race,” the club insisted.

Concluding, the Cairo giants demanded “that the media, which we respect, not mention Ahly or their members in any electoral campaigning.”

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