The Ittihad Herald
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Afsha runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 35. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market17 Aug 2026
Ittihad say no — this time
The offer from Al Ahly for Mahmoud Alaa was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Ittihad
Canaria 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.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Ittihad
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at Ittihad training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mabululu 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.
Market17 Aug 2026
Ittihad promote El Sayed Ashour from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. El Sayed Ashour has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market17 Aug 2026
One of our own: Karim Hamdi joins the Ittihad first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Karim Hamdi is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market17 Aug 2026
Ali El Hadary steps up from the Ittihad academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Ali El Hadary has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Match15 Aug 2026
Ittihad get the job done against Masr El Makasa
A 1‑0 win over Masr El Makasa, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
In brief
- Player ratings John Okoye Ebuka was the difference for Ittihad
- Boardroom Ittihad turn down the training-ground plan
- Squad John Okoye Ebuka is off the mark for Ittihad