Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Mitchell Weiser and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad20 May 2030
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
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 Belal Ateya is on it.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. El Masry 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 El Masry will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jassin Manai trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Squad13 May 2030
Belal Ateya 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.
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. El Masry will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
Nobody at El Masry 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.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at El Masry would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
Position 3 on 72 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.
Position 3, 72 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
At 33 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.20 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ahmed Waheb will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
200 games in the shirt. Nobody sets out to build a record like that; it happens to a certain kind of player at a certain kind of club, and this town knows what it has.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
Karim El Eraki was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.18. 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.
A brace, and Adam Kaied takes the afternoon — 9.18
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Adam Kaied provided it, and the 9.18 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 16 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between El Masry and Wadi Degla, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Three points for El Masry, 4‑2 the final word against Wadi Degla in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad22 Apr 2030
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Kingsley Eduwo 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Faissal Al Mazyani will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Hossam Abdelmaguid 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.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
Ismaily held the lead for 4 minutes, which is not long enough to enjoy it. El Masry answered before the celebration had properly finished, and the shape of the afternoon changed with it.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and El Masry know it.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at El Masry, another week without a signature from Emmanuel Olisa.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Marked 7.72. There is a kind of forward whose value only shows up when you count what he was involved in rather than what he finished, and this is the day that argument makes itself.
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.
There is a particular helplessness in conceding 3 times before the twentieth minute. Haras El Hodoud tried to reorganise, El Masry did not allow it, and the result was written long before it was confirmed.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Samkelo Maseko will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 35 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for El Masry is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
Squad1 Apr 2030
Enzo Ebosse 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 dugout1 Apr 2030
The manager has not finished forgetting Ryan Nyambe's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at El Masry has been clear about where Ahmed Khaled stands, which is more than many ever get.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Squad25 Mar 2030
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
Marked 6.86 on 11 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Kingsley Eduwo will call it something else in private.
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
The dugout25 Mar 2030
The manager has not finished forgetting Mitchell Weiser's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Trezeguet El Wensh after 1‑4, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Faissal Al Mazyani will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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 a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Belal Ateya has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Something was said to Adam Kaied and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
1 for Karim El Eraki, marked 7.73, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
“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.
Squad11 Mar 2030
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Enzo Ebosse 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 a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.19, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings11 Mar 2030
Hussein Faisal was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.05. 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.
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. El Masry told Karim El Eraki something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Involvement in 2 goals, from a player who spent the ninety minutes doing the thing a manager actually wants: being where the ball was going to end up. 7.99 beside his name.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between El Masry and Police Union, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Marked 8.51 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Karim El Eraki 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 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.
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Faissal Al Mazyani will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
7.65, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Everything was agreed until it was not, and John Batigi reports back to El Masry with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Karim El Eraki 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.
2 goals before the ground had finished arriving. El Dakhleya spent the rest of the afternoon playing a match that had already been decided, and everybody in the stadium knew it.
In brief
SquadEnzo Ebosse falls out with a teammate over standards
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Wadi Degla moved on, Hussein Faisal reports back to El Masry, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
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.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at El Masry can tell you which week it ends in.
El Masry asked and ES Setif said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The name of Ahmed Waheb has come up in conversations El Masry were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom4 Feb 2030
El Masry close the window on a squad of their own making
1 in and 3 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Jassin Manai reports back to El Masry with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Amoory obliged against Arab Contractors. 1‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is El Masry.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and El Dakhleya waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The offer from Al Gaish for Ahmed Waheb 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.
Karim El Eraki 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.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
Karim El Eraki 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 Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at ES Setif is saying, and nobody at El Masry is enjoying the guessing.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. ES Setif have kept their man, and El Masry go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Yasser Sobhi has his answer from El Masry; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
In brief
The dugoutMitchell Weiser is still being punished for one mistake
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Kingsley Eduwo provided it, and the 8.64 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The offer from Zamalek for Karim Fouad 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.
“I watch every El Masry game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Al Wasl runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ahmed Eid will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
7.92, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Karim El Eraki 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.
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 35 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
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.
A 2‑1 win over Military Production, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
There is a particular helplessness in conceding 2 times before the twentieth minute. Military Production tried to reorganise, El Masry did not allow it, and the result was written long before it was confirmed.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
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.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 86. Smouha had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
Successful dribbles: 14. 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Djé D'Avilla will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings17 Dec 2029
Djé D'Avilla was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.15. 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.
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Trezeguet El Wensh on a 2‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
Position 3, 34 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Kingsley Eduwo. 2‑1 against Ismaily, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
At 35 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.91 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Karim El Eraki 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.
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.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Zamalek left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad26 Nov 2029
Enzo Ebosse 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.
10 combined actions and 7.75. The job he did is the one that shows up as other people looking good, and the only reliable way to notice it is to watch what happens on the afternoons he is missing.
100 times in these colours, in all weathers and under four or five different managers. That kind of service is quietly disappearing from the game.
The dugout26 Nov 2029
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Trezeguet El Wensh to a room that had heard them before.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Two sides from the top of the table, one afternoon, and a month of talk decided in ninety minutes. El Masry will not use the word title this week and will not stop thinking it.
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
Position 3, 28 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 90. Aswan had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
The first defeat in 4 matches. The manager will say it had to come; the dressing room will say it did not have to come against Aswan; the supporters will say both, in that order, all week.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Marked 8.41. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at El Masry.
Squad5 Nov 2029
Enzo Ebosse 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.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. John Batigi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match27 Oct 2029
Another one collected away from home
5 on the bounce on the road for El Masry. The coaches leave early, arrive at unlovely grounds in the dark, and keep coming home with three points.
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Karim El Eraki 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 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 clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry 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 El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Oct 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
2 goals inside twenty minutes with Djé D'Avilla in the middle of it, and Masr El Makasa unable to get near the ball long enough to change anything. Some matches are won before the first drink.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
At 35, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
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 Amoory is on it.
The dugout15 Oct 2029
Ahmed Waheb is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Karim El Eraki signs something — a contract at El Masry or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
In brief
The dugoutAhmed Eid asks for a word with the manager
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
At 35 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.89 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Karim El Eraki 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.
4 away wins in a row. Travelling support is the truest kind, and this season it is being repaid in the only currency that counts.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. John Batigi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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 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 manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Faissal Al Mazyani has his answer from El Masry; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
7 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
At 35 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.26 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Kingsley Eduwo. 2‑1 against Ittihad, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Match22 Sep 2029
Another one collected away from home
3 on the bounce on the road for El Masry. The coaches leave early, arrive at unlovely grounds in the dark, and keep coming home with three points.
In brief
SquadWords at El Masry training over how hard people work
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Aswan waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
6 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
Successful dribbles: 21. 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.
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 El Masry go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Hossam Abdelmaguid has, at El Masry, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Ismaily moved on, Ahmed Waheb reports back to El Masry, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. ENPPI have kept their man, and El Masry go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. El Masry will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
He arrived for a fee and leaves for a fraction of it. $216.0K of what El Masry paid for Anthony Okachi is money the club will not see again, and the boardroom will be asked about it for two seasons.
5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Boardroom3 Sep 2029
El Masry close the window on a squad of their own making
14 in and 23 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
The offer from Al-Taawoun for Samuel Oppong 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jassin Manai will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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 clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The offer from Military Production for Faissal Al Mazyani 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.
Successful dribbles: 26. 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.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. El Masry have done the hard part with Zamalek, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
The name of John Batigi has come up in conversations El Masry were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Two goals and a mark of 8.26 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. John Batigi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The name of Faissal Al Mazyani has come up in conversations El Masry were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
El Masry moved before anybody else could: a new deal for Trezeguet El Wensh, agreed quietly and announced loudly. Boards extend managers for many reasons; the good one is the one this looks like.
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
In brief
Boardroom5 academy players handed senior numbers at El Masry
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ahmed Eid will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Ahmed Eid has agreed terms with Zamalek for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
Karim El Eraki 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 thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The offer from Military Production for Mohamed Shokry 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.
The clubs have shaken hands with ENPPI; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Al Ahly is saying, and nobody at El Masry is enjoying the guessing.
Karim El Eraki 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 Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Add another name to the list: Military Production have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Ahmed Waheb. The answer from El Masry has not changed — yet.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
Mitchell Weiser 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 thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at El Masry can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
“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 El Masry will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Police Union waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The offer from MC Oran for Samuel Oppong 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.
Add another name to the list: Police Union have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about John Batigi. The answer from El Masry has not changed — yet.
El Masry asked and Ismaily said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. El Masry will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Enzo Ebosse 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 clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. John Batigi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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.
44 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. ENPPI have kept their man, and El Masry go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and El Dakhleya waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jassin Manai will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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 Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The phone has started ringing about Ahmed Khaled again, and this time the name on the line is Ismaily. El Masry are listening politely and promising nothing.
Nobody at El Masry 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.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and El Dakhleya waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
Add another name to the list: El Dakhleya have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Faissal Al Mazyani. The answer from El Masry has not changed — yet.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad2 Jul 2029
Enzo Ebosse 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 El Masry, another week without a signature from Mitchell Weiser.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Faissal Al Mazyani will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The name of John Batigi has come up in conversations El Masry were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad25 Jun 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
Nobody at El Masry 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El Masry, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The offer from Ittihad for Ahmed Khaled 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.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Al Ahly keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Karim El Eraki 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.
$210.0K on the table at ENPPI. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
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.
Add another name to the list: Wadi Degla have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Anthony Okachi. The answer from El Masry has not changed — yet.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. ENPPI have kept their man, and El Masry go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Enzo Ebosse 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 manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Ahmed Kalosha has his answer from El Masry; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Done, and with games to spare. Next season has floodlit nights against clubs from other countries in it, and the accounts have a line they did not have last year.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. El Masry had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
The name of Faissal Al Mazyani has come up in conversations El Masry were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Mostafa El Aash 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 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at El Masry has been clear about where Mostafa El Aash stands, which is more than many ever get.
Karim El Eraki 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.
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.
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; El Masry are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Abderrahim Deghmoum trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
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 El Masry. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Salah Mohsen signs something — a contract at El Masry or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad21 May 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Enzo Ebosse 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 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.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. El Masry know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Enzo Ebosse has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 May 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ahmed Kalosha, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 May 2029
The manager has not finished forgetting Ahmed Waheb's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Nobody at El Masry 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.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Enzo Ebosse trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
63 points from position 4. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
Karim El Eraki 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 Hussein Faisal was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A 3‑1 win over Military Production, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
2 goals inside twenty minutes with Kingsley Eduwo in the middle of it, and Military Production unable to get near the ball long enough to change anything. Some matches are won before the first drink.
Marked 8.25 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Two goals and a mark of 8.41 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki 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.
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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at El Masry, and 4 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ahmed Khaled will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
Squad23 Apr 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
“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 dugout23 Apr 2029
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Trezeguet El Wensh to a room that had heard them before.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El Masry, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
5 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 1‑0, Trezeguet El Wensh could afford to be generous.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Karim El Eraki trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
In brief
The dugoutThe plan did not have a place for Djé D'Avilla
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El Masry have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Karim El Eraki 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.” Lindokuhle Mathebula and El Masry agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Successful dribbles: 22. 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Kingsley Eduwo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El Masry have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki 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.
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.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and El Masry know it.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at El Masry, and 4 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. El Masry told Enzo Ebosse something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at El Masry, another week without a signature from Adam Kaied.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Karim El Eraki and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad26 Mar 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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 was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Aswan left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Enzo Ebosse 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 manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Squad19 Mar 2029
8 new faces, and El Masry are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Trezeguet El Wensh after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El Masry, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Successful dribbles: 21. 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.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at El Masry, another week without a signature from Mitchell Weiser.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El Masry, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 1‑1, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
At 34 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.29 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
6 goals in one match, Kingsley Eduwo on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of El Masry and Police Union.
Police Union made El Masry work for it, but the scoreboard read 4‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad5 Mar 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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 clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mitchell Weiser. 1‑0 against Masr El Makasa, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
200 times in these colours, in all weathers and under four or five different managers. That kind of service is quietly disappearing from the game.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Enzo Ebosse 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.
“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 dugout26 Feb 2029
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.” Trezeguet El Wensh kept it short after the 1‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 7‑0 against El Dakhleya, and it could have been more.
Player ratings19 Feb 2029
A brace, and Salah Mohsen takes the afternoon — 9.38
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Salah Mohsen provided it, and the 9.38 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Ghazl El Mahalla moved on, Ahmed Waheb reports back to El Masry, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between El Masry and El Dakhleya, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Hussein Faisal 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.
0‑3 to Al Ahly, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El Masry have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The deal that would have taken Anthony Okachi to Aswan has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to El Masry with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
The offer from Ittihad for Ahmed Khaled 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.
El Masry offered $1.4M; Haras El Hodoud said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Karim El Eraki 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 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 last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Successful dribbles: 28. 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.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 9 arrived, 6 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
$1.4M on the table at Haras El Hodoud. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Steve Noode will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Felipe Laurindo has, at El Masry, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
6 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
The clubs have shaken hands with Al Gaish; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Amoory provided it, and the 8.51 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Anthony Okachi provided it, and the 8.27 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Smouha had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
At 34 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.19 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El Masry have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The offer from Ittihad for Ahmed Khaled 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.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and El Dakhleya waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
At 34 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.15 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
The offer from Wadi Degla for Bismark Asante 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.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Steve Noode will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Karim El Eraki 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.
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.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and El Masry have had the benefit of it.
At 34 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.42 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Bismark Asante will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Ryan Nyambe 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. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about El Masry and Military Production in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
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.
Marked 8.19 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
In brief
Player ratingsYasser Sobhi was on a different afternoon to everybody else
Player ratingsKarim El Eraki was on a different afternoon to everybody else
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mitchell Weiser 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 thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Trezeguet El Wensh after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Somebody watched every match in the division at the weekend and decided he was the best thing in any of them. A small honour, and most careers end without one.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Ahmed Waheb has his answer from El Masry; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.40 at 34, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Omar Abdelrahim will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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 Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 3‑0, Trezeguet El Wensh could afford to be generous.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Abderrahim Deghmoum provided it, and the 8.68 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Karim El Eraki 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, Abderrahim Deghmoum on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of El Masry and Ismaily.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Bismark Asante will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Enzo Ebosse was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ahmed Khaled will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Marked 9.94 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about El Masry and Wadi Degla in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki 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 Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El Masry, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. El Masry know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Nobody at El Masry 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 clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
Everybody at El Masry saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 34 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
Marked 8.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Aswan held the lead for 1 minutes, which is not long enough to enjoy it. El Masry answered before the celebration had properly finished, and the shape of the afternoon changed with it.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Ahmed Ayman Mansour has his answer from El Masry; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Yasser Sobhi. 1‑0 against Al Gaish, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Enzo Ebosse 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.
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout6 Nov 2028
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Trezeguet El Wensh, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. El Masry told Enzo Ebosse something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
The dugout30 Oct 2028
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Trezeguet El Wensh was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the El Masry dressing room was either.
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
8 shots, and a count that reads like a good afternoon until you check the other column. Strikers survive weeks like this on the understanding that the chances keep arriving; the day they stop is the day it becomes a problem.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” El Masry have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Omar Abdelrahim will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Karim El Eraki 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 Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Trezeguet El Wensh on a 3‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Moustafa Zeidan will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Enzo Ebosse 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 had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at El Masry, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Nobody at El Masry 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.
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Mahmoud Hamada’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and El Masry needing him to play as if none of it matters.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at El Masry would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.33 at 34, and nobody on the pitch was better.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Moustafa Zeidan 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.
Marked 8.34 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.18 at 34, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
200 games in these colours. Service of that kind gets rarer every season, and the crowd knows it.
The dugout2 Oct 2028
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Trezeguet El Wensh to a room that had heard them before.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Moustafa Zeidan. 2‑0 against Ittihad, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
200 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Enzo Ebosse 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.
Marked 8.28 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑0, Trezeguet El Wensh could afford to be generous.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Moustafa Zeidan will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Successful dribbles: 27. 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.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Zamalek keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Kingsley Eduwo. 1‑0 against Arab Contractors, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 24 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Bismark Asante will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Ghazl El Mahalla moved on, Ahmed Waheb reports back to El Masry, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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 last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 20 arrived, 12 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
2 goals to the good, and then a slow surrender of everything that had been earned. Salah Mohsen will not be the one blamed for it, but nobody at El Masry escapes the conversation that follows a collapse like this.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
At 34 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.00 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
The name of Moustafa Zeidan has come up in conversations El Masry were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The offer from Enyimba for Anthony Okachi 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.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
6 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
The offer from Enyimba for Faissal Al Mazyani 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.
El Masry and Zamalek have settled on $230.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Zamalek is saying, and nobody at El Masry is enjoying the guessing.
Karim El Eraki 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 Mitchell Weiser was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Police Union waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around El Masry they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Everyone has stopped pretending: Arab Contractors will make the call about Mostafa El Aash this week. El Masry have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mitchell Weiser 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.
El Masry asked and Zamalek said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Enyimba waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Mitchell Weiser 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.
Everyone has stopped pretending: Police Union will make the call about Moustafa Zeidan this week. El Masry have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Faissal Al Mazyani commits to El Masry for another 4 years.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Moustafa Zeidan 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 last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason El Masry will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Position 2, 83 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
The offer from Enyimba for Omar Abdelrahim 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.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mitchell Weiser 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 clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around El Masry people have started saying his name in the past tense.
The offer from MC Oran for Amoory 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.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Al Ahly have kept their man, and El Masry go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
“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.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Enzo Ebosse 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.
In brief
The dugoutAli Ghazal has become a man the manager trusts
The dugoutThe manager makes Ahmed Khaled a promise
22 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. El Masry lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and JS Saoura waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at El Masry is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Al Ahly keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at El Masry this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Moustafa Zeidan was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
El Masry 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.
Squad17 Jul 2028
5 new faces, and El Masry are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
In brief
The dugoutSalah Mohsen knocks on the manager’s door
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
30 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. El Masry lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
“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 El Masry, and it is not being withdrawn.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Abdo Nader will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around El Masry the goodbyes have quietly begun.
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 words a physio says slowly. 37 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.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Military Production waiting with a shirt. Nobody at El Masry is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 19 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
The deal with ENPPI 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.
44 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. El Masry lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what El Masry can pretend not to have heard.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. El Masry have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Karim El Eraki 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.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Words at El Masry training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Moustafa Zeidan 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 phone has started ringing about Bismark Asante again, and this time the name on the line is El Dakhleya. El Masry are listening politely and promising nothing.