Ahly coach Manuel Jose did little to bury the hatchet with Egyptian journalists after branding them “dirty people” in an interview with the club’s in-house television channel.
The critics association said it would convene on Tuesday to take “appropriate measures”. It said it might file a lawsuit against Jose.
The Portuguese manager launched several verbal attacks on journalists during his previous two stints in charge of Ahly, but matters seemed to have cooled following his return to the Cairo giants last January.
However, he did nothing to sugar-coat his feelings towards the media following Ahly’s elimination from the CAF Champions League group stage at the hands of Tunisia’s Esperance.
“The press, especially the Zamalek press, always attacks us following any loss. And now we gave them the opportunity to do that,” the controversial short-tempered tactician told Ahly TV.
“And even some Ahly journalists (do that). I told the players they cannot listen to those people because … they are dirty people.”
Ahly’s assistant coach Mohamed Youssef, who was translating the interview, declined to interpret Jose’s rant.
“I didn’t want to escalate the problems between Jose and the journalists. Jose didn’t mean all the journalists, he just criticized those who always attack Ahly,” Youssef commented.
Short link: