The Ittihad Herald
Match15 Aug 2026
Chastening afternoon for Ittihad
A 1‑6 beating by Masr El Makasa was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
The cruellest goal, and it is Rodrigo Canario's
A touch he did not want, a bounce he could not have read, and his name in the wrong column. There is no consoling a man after one of these, and Ittihad will not try tonight.
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.
Match15 Aug 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Ittihad and Masr El Makasa in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
3 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
No hiding place for Ayman Ashraf
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ayman Ashraf, and the manager let it.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
John Okoye Ebuka in the eights
A performance of 8.73 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Market17 Aug 2026
One of our own: Ashraf Hamdi joins the Ittihad first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Ashraf 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
Bassem Sobhi steps up from the Ittihad academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Bassem Sobhi 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.
In brief
- Market Ittihad promote Ibrahim Sobhi from within
- Squad Mahmoud Dunga falls out with a teammate over standards
- Boardroom Nobody left the Ittihad dressing room in a hurry