Marked for Reda El Sayed
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 May 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ittihad is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad14 May 2029
A row about effort at Ittihad
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Oto John was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad14 May 2029
Mohamed Tony was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout14 May 2029
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Khaled Abdelfattah is on it.
Market14 May 2029
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout14 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Mostafa Ibrahim
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout14 May 2029
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market14 May 2029
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Abbati Abdullahi has his answer from Ittihad; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Match14 May 2029
Ittihad have something to play for
Position 4 on 64 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Apr 2029
41 days out for Charles Tambe after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Ittihad will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market16 Apr 2029
Only the photograph left for Omar Kamel
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Omar Kamel will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ittihad the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad16 Apr 2029
Words at Ittihad training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oto John is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad16 Apr 2029
A falling-out at Ittihad
Osama Ahmed and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Reda El Sayed, and the manager let it.
Market16 Apr 2029
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Hassan Magdy has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Ittihad.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
Nobody at Ittihad will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout16 Apr 2029
Omar Kamel knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Omar Kamel trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Match16 Apr 2029
Ittihad in the hunt for Europe
Position 4, 64 points, and a run-in that decides whether next season has Thursday nights in it. Nobody is calling it a race yet, which is what people say during one.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad27 Nov 2028
18 days out for Islam Abdallah after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Ittihad will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad27 Nov 2028
8 saves: Omar Kamel was the team
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Market27 Nov 2028
Only the photograph left for Moamen Sherif
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Moamen Sherif will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ittihad the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Mahmoud Shabana falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad27 Nov 2028
A falling-out at Ittihad
Osama Ahmed and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match25 Nov 2028
A bad afternoon for Ittihad against Zamalek
0‑2 to Zamalek, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout27 Nov 2028
Oto John gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout27 Nov 2028
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout27 Nov 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Khaled Abdelfattah is on it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad9 Oct 2028
68 days out for Islam Abdallah after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Ittihad will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Player ratings9 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 25. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Market9 Oct 2028
As if he never left: Reda El Sayed returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Reda El Sayed is a Ittihad player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Dari Haruna falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Osama Ahmed in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ittihad this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout9 Oct 2028
No hiding place for Oto John
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oto John, and the manager let it.
Squad9 Oct 2028
At 25 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Market9 Oct 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Hassan Magdy has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Ittihad.
The dugout9 Oct 2028
When it matters, Omar Kamel plays
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jul 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Abdelaziz El Zoghbi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ENPPI the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Omar El Azab is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Tempers go at ENPPI
Ahmed Nader Hawash was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Mohamed Hathout has improved at 29, which nobody expected
Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.
Squad24 Jul 2028
A row about effort at ENPPI
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Emad Mayhoub was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets24 Jul 2028
A loan move for Samir Mohamed is in the works
ENPPI have made the call to Al Ahly. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The dugout24 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Omar El Azab, and the manager let it.
The dugout24 Jul 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market24 Jul 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Reda El Sayed has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at ENPPI.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jul 2028
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. ENPPI have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market17 Jul 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what ENPPI can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets17 Jul 2028
The deal with Newell's Old Boys is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Fares Fakhri is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Transfer targets17 Jul 2028
ENPPI have gone to Ismaily with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad17 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ENPPI this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Jul 2028
At 25 the improving is meant to be over, and it is not: 3 points better than a year ago. It happens to the ones who take the boring parts seriously.
Squad17 Jul 2028
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Mostafa El Khawaga, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Transfer targets17 Jul 2028
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. NK Osijek have kept their man, and ENPPI go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Jun 2028
32 days out for Ahmed Shadad after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. ENPPI will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Mohamed Makhlouf has just signed for ENPPI, and for once the answer mattered.
Market26 Jun 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at ENPPI, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets26 Jun 2028
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. ENPPI have done the hard part with Ismaily, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Market26 Jun 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Abdelaziz El Zoghbi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ENPPI the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ahmed Nader Hawash commits to ENPPI for another 3 years.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Tempers go at ENPPI
Ahmed Nader Hawash was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market26 Jun 2028
Petrojet are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. ENPPI will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
The dugout26 Jun 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
In brief
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The dugout
Mohanad Bakri knocks on the manager’s door
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Market
ENPPI shop where it costs nothing
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Boardroom
The ENPPI academy earns its keep
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout8 May 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” ENPPI may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market8 May 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at ENPPI, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad8 May 2028
Words exchanged at ENPPI
Ahmed Nader Hawash and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad8 May 2028
Words at ENPPI training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Emad Tarek is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout8 May 2028
Ahmed El Agouz has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at ENPPI will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Market8 May 2028
Ammar Hamdy linked with a move away
The name of Ammar Hamdy keeps appearing in other people's back pages. ENPPI say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Jan 2028
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Military Production waiting with a shirt. Nobody at ENPPI is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Squad24 Jan 2028
22 goals and a season average of 7.67. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match19 Jan 2028
ENPPI out of the cup
El Masry ended it 1‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Youssef Sabra breaks a bone — 38 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 38 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market24 Jan 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at ENPPI, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market24 Jan 2028
Only the photograph left for Mohamed Tarek
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Mohamed Tarek will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around ENPPI the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Transfer targets24 Jan 2028
The offer went to Ismaily this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Squad24 Jan 2028
A falling-out at ENPPI
Ahmed Nader Hawash and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad3 Jan 2028
59 days out for Youssef Sabra after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. ENPPI will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market3 Jan 2028
Al Ahly come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and ENPPI did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad3 Jan 2028
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. ENPPI had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
Market3 Jan 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout3 Jan 2028
Reda El Sayed: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” ENPPI have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match1 Jan 2028
Whatever happens, ENPPI do not lose
8 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Market3 Jan 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at ENPPI is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Emad Tarek in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at ENPPI this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Jan 2028
26 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.