It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ghazl El Mahalla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mory Touré 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.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Ghazl El Mahalla. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Maximo Ingravidi 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Roger Faye was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ghazl El Mahalla know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Ghazl El Mahalla will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ghazl El Mahalla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Jul 2035
Mory Touré 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Al Ahly have kept their man, and Ghazl El Mahalla go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Ghazl El Mahalla. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Ghazl El Mahalla, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“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 Ghazl El Mahalla, and it is not being withdrawn.
Yassin Atef 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mory Touré 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.
Signed today, seen by nobody for years, and one of them may one day be the reason the club exists. That is the whole of the argument for an academy, and it is a good one.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Ghazl El Mahalla know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
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.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Ghazl El Mahalla, another week without a signature from Naoufal Bannis.
In brief
The dugoutHossam Zaki asks for a word with the manager
Maximo Ingravidi 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.
Squad4 Jun 2035
Mory Touré 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.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Ghazl El Mahalla, another week without a signature from Hamza Alaa.
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ghazl El Mahalla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mory Touré 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.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Ashraf Hamdi 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.
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Bassem El Hadary 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.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Hossam Salah 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.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Omar Fathy is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
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.
The last league game has been played and the table has stopped moving: 54 points. The summer begins on Monday, and so does the argument about what it all meant.
Player ratings7 May 2035
A brace, and Mory Touré takes the afternoon — 8.22
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Mory Touré provided it, and the 8.22 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ghazl El Mahalla can pretend not to have heard.
Youssef El Azab 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 easiest signature of my career.” Roger Faye and Ghazl El Mahalla agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
At 20 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ghazl El Mahalla can pretend not to have heard.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ghazl El Mahalla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Apr 2035
Mory Touré 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.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
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.
Two goals and a mark of 8.50 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ghazl El Mahalla have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mory Touré 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.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Yassin Atef. 2‑0 against El Dakhleya, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Billal Brahimi, and the manager let it.
The dugout23 Apr 2035
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Mohamed Ghaly kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ghazl El Mahalla can pretend not to have heard.
Hamza Alaa 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mory Touré 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.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yassin Atef signs something — a contract at Ghazl El Mahalla or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
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.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Ghazl El Mahalla. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
A brace, and Yassin Atef takes the afternoon — 8.46
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Yassin Atef provided it, and the 8.46 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Abdi Ineza 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 players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑1, Mohamed Ghaly could afford to be generous.
Nobody at Ghazl El Mahalla 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.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Karim Zaki
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ghazl El Mahalla can pretend not to have heard.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ghazl El Mahalla this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Successful dribbles: 19. 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.
Squad5 Mar 2035
Roger Faye 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.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Rasheed Akanbi is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Squad5 Mar 2035
A place in the month's best eleven for El Sayed Gabr
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. El Sayed Gabr has come out of that comparison in the side, and Ghazl El Mahalla have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
“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 Ghazl El Mahalla, and it is not being withdrawn.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 3 arrived, 5 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mory Touré was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ghazl El Mahalla asked and Asante Kotoko said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Ghazl El Mahalla, another week without a signature from Abdelrahman Sherif.
The deal with Al Ahly 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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Chinonso Emeka and Ghazl El Mahalla agree another 2 years.
Seif Emam 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mory Touré 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 words a physio says slowly. 44 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mory Touré was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Mohamed Ghaly after 1‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Emad Gabr 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.
Squad4 Dec 2034
A place in the month's best eleven for El Sayed Gabr
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. El Sayed Gabr has come out of that comparison in the side, and Ghazl El Mahalla have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
51 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ghazl El Mahalla lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Arab Contractors ended it 3‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Player ratings27 Nov 2034
A brace, and Mory Touré takes the afternoon — 8.23
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Mory Touré provided it, and the 8.23 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ghazl El Mahalla can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Nov 2034
Mory Touré 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.
At 18 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
This is not rotation. Hossam Hegazi has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Ghazl El Mahalla is pretending otherwise.
Player ratings27 Nov 2034
Youssef Fawzi was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.01. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
65 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ghazl El Mahalla lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Hossam Hegazi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ghazl El Mahalla the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Yassin Atef 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.
6 goals in one match, Abdi Ineza on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Ghazl El Mahalla and Zamalek.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mory Touré was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
79 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ghazl El Mahalla lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Abdi Ineza 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.
A 1‑0 win over Petrojet, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings30 Oct 2034
Youssef El Azab was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.21. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.