EGYPTIAN TOP-FLIGHT DERBY ABANDONED AFTER ZAMALEK FAIL TO SHOW UP
TOP-FLIGHT Egyptian side Zamalek face punishment after failing to turn up to the Cairo derby against rivals Al Ahly on Monday.
It comes after sanctions were handed to players and officials from both clubs following a brawl when the teams met in last week’s gyptian uper up.
Zamalek say they intended to play but had been delayed in traffic.
However, the Egyptian ootball ssociation said there were no obstacles” holding up the team bus.
The apologised to fans and say it will take disciplinary action against amale . amale won the bad tempered final in bu habi on penalties and club president Mortada Mansour was among those fined and banned for his part in the violence at the game.
Mansour had said his players would not turn up for the gyptian Premier eague match at airo nternational tadium, which the sides share, due to fear and worry” over their welfare. He appeared to change his mind and opted to send a youth side instead, but the team bus had not arrived an hour after the scheduled ic off, and the game was abandoned, handing l hly the win. l hly and amale s rivalry stretches bac to , usually played to pac ed stadiums and fervently followed not only in gypt but across the rabic spea ing world. t is regarded as one of the top derbies in world football. l hly are frica s most successful club side, having been crowned frican champions on eight separate occasions. Meanwhile, city rivals Zamalek are their closest challengers, having won frica s leading club competition on five occasions, along with DR ongo s TP Ma embe.