History of Al Ahly SC facts for kids
Al Ahly Football Club is a famous Egyptian professional football club. It is based in Cairo, Egypt. Many people call it simply Al Ahly. It means 'The National Club' in Arabic. Al Ahly is known as the most successful team in Africa. It is also one of the biggest clubs on the continent.
The club holds many records in Egypt. They have won the national league 42 times. They also have 37 national cup titles. Plus, they have won the national super cup 11 times. This makes them the most decorated club in Egypt. Al Ahly has never been moved down to a lower league.
In international games, Al Ahly has won a record 9 CAF Champions League titles. They also won a CAF Confederation Cup. They have a record 6 CAF Super Cups and 4 African Cup Winners' Cups. They won an Afro-Asian Club Championship and an Arab Club Champions Cup. They also have an Arab Cup Winners' Cup and 2 Arab Super Cups. Al Ahly has won 4 bronze medals in the FIFA Club World Cup. With 24 African titles, Al Ahly is the most successful club in African history. CAF voted them the African club of the 20th century. Al Ahly is one of the most successful clubs in the world by total trophies.
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How Al Ahly Started
The idea for Al Ahly started in the early 1900s. Omar Lotfy, who led the High School Students Club, thought of it. That club was formed for political reasons. He believed students needed a sports club for fun and exercise. He talked to friends, and they liked the idea. Al Ahly was officially started in 1907.
The first head of the club was Alfred Mitchell-Innes. He was a British advisor. He helped the club get financial support. The first official meeting was on April 24, 1907. It was held at Mitchell-Innes's house in Giza.
The club's name, Al Ahly Sporting Club, was suggested by Amine Samy Amin. It was meant to serve students who were part of the movement against British rule. An architect named Ismail Seri designed the main club building. The club aimed to raise 5000 pounds but only got 3165. They had to borrow 1,000 pounds from a bank. Talaat Harb also gave 100 pounds. The Minister of Education, Saad Zaghloul, became the club's first honorary president.
On April 2, 1908, Mitchell-Innes stepped down. Aziz Ezzat became the first Egyptian president of Al Ahly. The club officially opened on February 26, 1908.
At first, football was not the main goal. The club was for high school students to meet and talk about politics. But students loved football. So, Al Ahly built its first stadium in 1909. They called it "Al-Hawsh," meaning "the courtyard." Over time, it became Mokhtar El-Tetsh Stadium.
The first official football team was formed in 1911. It included players from schools. Famous early players were Hussain Higazi and Ibrahim Fahmy. The team's star was striker Hussein Hegazi.
In 1915, Al Ahly toured Egyptian cities. They played matches to spread football. They played in Alexandria, Port Said, and other cities. They even played against British army teams. This made Al Ahly and football very popular. Al Ahly helped form Egypt's first national football team. This team played in the 1920 Olympic Games. Al Ahly also helped create the Egyptian Football Association.
Early Wins (1918–1948)
Al Ahly first refused to play in the Sultan Hussein Cup in 1917. But they decided to join in 1918. In 1923, Al Ahly won the Sultan Hussain Cup. They beat their rival Zamalek. They added 6 more titles to become record holders until 1938.
A year after winning the Sultan Hussain Cup, Al Ahly won the King Farouk Cup in 1924. They beat El Sekka El Hadid 4–1. Mokhtar Eltetsh was the star, scoring two goals.
In 1929, Al Ahly's team toured Europe. They played against clubs like Fenerbahçe in Turkey. They also played Schalke in Germany. The tour ended in Bulgaria.
In November 1930, Al Ahly beat Zamalek 4–0. This was in a Cairo League match. Mokhtar El Tetsh scored three goals. This was the first time a player scored a hat trick in the Cairo Derby.
At the end of the 1936–1937 season, Al Ahly won two titles. They won the Cairo League and the Egypt Cup. They beat Zamalek and El Sekka El Hadid. Al Ahly won the league in the last game. They beat Zamalek 4–1. In the cup final, Al Ahly beat El Sikka 3–2. Abdel Karim Saqr scored the winning goal late in the game.
The Sultan Hussein Cup ended in 1938. Al Ahly won its last version. They had a tough 1–0 win over Al Masry. In the Cairo League, Al Ahly won again in the last round. They beat Zamalek 5–1.
In 1943, Al Ahly's team went to Palestine. They played matches to support Palestine. This trip happened even though the head of the Egyptian Football Association disagreed.
League Dominance (1948–1967)
The Egyptian Premier League started in 1948. Al Ahly won their first match 5–0 against Greek Alexandria. Ahmed Makkawi scored Al Ahly's first goal in the league. Mokhtar al Tetsh led Al Ahly to win this first league title. He was a player and manager.
Al Ahly won both the league and cup in 1949. They beat Zamalek 3–1 in the 1949 Egypt Cup final.
The 1949–50 season was great for Al Ahly. They won all local championships. They won the Egyptian Premier League after a play-off against Tersana. They also won the Cairo League and the Egypt Cup. They beat Tersana 6–0 in the cup final.
In the 1950–51 season, Al Ahly won the league for the third time in a row. They also won the Egyptian Cup.
After the revolution of 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser became Al Ahly's honorary president. The 1951–52 league was canceled due to the revolution. When it returned, Al Ahly won it for the fourth time in a row. They also beat Zamalek 4–1 in the Egypt Cup final. Saleh Selim scored two goals.
In the 1956–57 season, Al Ahly won the league for the seventh time in a row. They were 9 points ahead of Zamalek.
Al Ahly won the 1958–59 league for the ninth time in a row. El-Sayed El-Dhizui was Al Ahly's first top goal scorer in the league. Al Ahly scored 55 goals in just 18 games that season.
After losing the league for the first time, Al Ahly won it again in 1960–61. This was their tenth league title. They also won the Egypt Cup, beating El Qanah 5–0.
First African Games (1967–1980)
After the 1967 war, sports in Egypt stopped. Al Ahly's club leaders announced that the club would help the army. Many football stars retired because of the war. Al Ahly did not win the league for 13 years.
Al Ahly started to recover when they hired Nándor Hidegkuti as head coach in 1973. Hidegkuti trained a new group of players. The league title returned to Al Ahly in 1974–75. The team scored 70 goals in 34 games.
Al Ahly first played in the African Champions League in 1976. They were knocked out early by MC Alger. Al Khatib scored Al Ahly's first goal in an African competition.
Al Ahly won the league in 1975–76 and 1976–77. They played better in their second African competition. They reached the quarter-finals. From 1978 to 1980, Hidegkuti decided not to play in the African Cup of Champions Clubs. This was due to money problems and long trips.
Conquering Africa (1980–1990)
In the 1981–82 Egyptian Premier League, Al Ahly won the championship. They drew with Zamalek in the last round. Al Ahly reached the semi-final of the 1981 African Cup of Champions Clubs. But they pulled out because of the assassination of President Anwar Sadat.
Al Ahly won the 1982 African Cup of Champions Clubs (now CAF Champions League) in 1982. They beat Asante Kotoko S.C. in the final. They won the first game 3–0. Mahmoud El Khatib scored two goals. The second game ended 1–1. This was Al Ahly's first African championship after 15 years.
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Al Ahly reached the African Champions League final again in 1983. But Kotoko won this time, scoring the only goal in both matches.
Al Ahly reached another African final in 1984. This was the African Cup Winners' Cup against Canon Yaoundé. Al Ahly won on penalties. The 1984–85 season was great for Al Ahly. They won the cup, the league, and the African Cup Winners Cup. They won the African Cup Winners' Cup for the second time in a row. For the third time in a row, Al Ahly won the African Cup Winners' Cup in 1986. They beat AS Sogara 3–2.
Al Ahly won the Egyptian League in 1986–87. They beat Zamalek 2–1 in the last round.
Al Ahly won the 1987 African Cup of Champions Clubs by beating Al-Hilal Club. The first game was a 0–0 draw. The second game in Cairo ended 2–0 for Al Ahly. Three days later, Al Ahly legend Mahmoud El Khatib retired.
Arab Wins & African Boycott (1990–2005)
Al Ahly won the Egypt Cup in 1992. They beat Zamalek 2–1 in an exciting final. Ayman Shawky scored the winning goal.
After winning the Egypt Cup three times in a row, Al Ahly returned to Africa. They won the African Cup Winners' Cup for the fourth time in 1993. This was their last time in this tournament. Al Ahly beat Africa Sports d'Abidjan in the final. In the same season, Al Ahly won the Egypt Cup.
After three years without a league title, Al Ahly won it in 1993–94. They beat Ismaily SC in a play-off match.
Al Ahly played in the Arab Championships for the first time in 1994. They decided not to play in African tournaments. This was because of low money and complaints about referees. Al Ahly won the 1994 Arab Cup Winners' Cup. They beat Al-Shabab FC 1–0. After winning the league and the Arab Super Cup, Reiner Hollmann left Al Ahly in 1997. Rainer Zobel took over. He won the league for the fifth time in a row in 1997–98. He also won the 1998 Arab Super Cup. In 1998, Al Ahly returned to African championships.
In 2001, Al Ahly signed Manuel José as coach. He was the first Portuguese coach for the club. Jose's first game was a friendly against Real Madrid. Al Ahly surprised Real Madrid with a 1–0 win. This was the fourth time Al Ahly beat a European team that had just won the Champions League.
Al Ahly won the African Champions League in 2001. They beat Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. 4–1. The first game was a 1–1 draw. The second game in Cairo ended with Al Ahly winning 3–0. Khaled Bebo scored three goals.
Al Ahly also won the Super Cup. They beat Kaizer Chiefs F.C. 4–1. Al Ahly goalkeeper Essam El Hadary scored a historic goal. Jose did not win any local titles at first. But he achieved a special win by beating Zamalek 6–1 in the league. Khaled Bebo scored 4 goals. This was the first and only time a player scored four goals in the Cairo derby. Jose was later replaced by Johannes Bonfrere.
The Golden Era (2005–2013)
Al Ahly won all their first 14 league matches in the 2004–05 Egyptian Premier League. They won the league for the 29th time. This was the first local title for Manuel José, who was rehired. Al Ahly won the league by a record 31 points. This was the first time a club won all its first-half matches.
Al Ahly also won the first Egyptian Super Cup. They beat ENPPI Club 1–0 in extra time. At the end of 2005, Al Ahly won the 2005 CAF Champions League for the fourth time. They beat Étoile Sportive du Sahel 3–0 in Cairo. The first game was a 0–0 draw. Al Ahly won the second game 3–0. They set a record of not losing in 52 games over 852 days. Al Ahly also won the Super Cup by beating ASFAR. Al Ahly then played in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan for the first time. But they lost to Sydney FC and Al-Ittihad.
Many believe 2006 was Al Ahly's best year. They won the Egyptian Super Cup again. They also won the league title for the second time in a row. Al Ahly won the Egyptian Cup by beating Zamalek 3–0. They won all local championships. They also won the African Champions League again. They beat CS Sfaxien in the final. The first game was a 1–1 draw. In the last seconds of the second game, Mohamed Aboutrika scored a spectacular goal. This won the cup for Al Ahly.
Al Ahly played in the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup again. They beat Auckland City FC 2–0. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Internacional. Al Ahly then played for third place. They beat Club América 2–1. Mohamed Aboutrika scored both goals. Al Ahly won the bronze medal. This was the first time an African team won a medal.
Al Ahly played the 2007 CAF Super Cup. They beat ES Sahel on penalties after a 0–0 draw. Al Ahly equaled Zamalek's record of 3 Super Cup titles. They later won three more. Al Ahly also set a record for playing in the most African Super Cups (8 times).
Al Ahly continued to dominate the league. They won the 2007–08 Egyptian Premier League for the fourth time in a row. They were 17 points ahead of Ismaily SC. The team also won the Super Cup for the fourth time. They beat Zamalek 2–0.
Al Ahly won the CAF Champions League for the sixth time. They beat Coton Sport FC de Garoua 4–2. Al Ahly went to the Club World Cup again. But they lost both games.
Al Ahly started the 2008–09 season by winning the 2009 CAF Super Cup. They beat CS Sfaxien 2–1. Al Ahly had a close race for the league title with Ismaily SC. They played a play-off match. Al Ahly won 1–0 with a goal from Flavio. This was Manuel José's last championship. Hossam El-Badry took over. Hossam Al Badry kept the league shield in Al Ahly's hands in 2009–10. He became the first Egyptian coach to win the league in 23 years. Al Ahly won the Egyptian Super Cup.
In the 2010 CAF Champions League, Al Ahly reached the semi-finals. But they were knocked out by Espérance Sportive de Tunis. This was due to a referee mistake.
Sports in Egypt were paused because of the Port Said Stadium riot. In the first game after sports returned, Al Ahly won the Egyptian Super Cup. They beat Enppi 2–1.
Despite tough times, Al Ahly players won the 2012 CAF Champions League for the seventh time. They beat Esperance in the final. The first game was a 1–1 draw. Al Ahly won the second game 2–1. Gedo and Walid Soliman scored.
Al Ahly, led by Hossam Al Badri, finished fourth in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. They beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2–1. Mohamed Aboutrika scored the winning goal. Then, Al Ahly lost to Corinthians and Monterrey.
Hossam Al Badri left the team. Mohamed Youssef took over. He led Al Ahly to win the 2013 CAF Champions League for the eighth time. They beat Orlando Pirates 2–0. Mohamed Aboutrika scored in both games. The second game was his last goal for Al Ahly.
Mahmoud Taher Era (2014–2017)
Al Ahly played in the African Confederations Cup. They reached the final against Séwé FC. They lost the first game 2–1. In the second game, Emad Moteab scored a winning header in stoppage time. This won the cup for Al Ahly for the first time. Coach Juan Carlos Garrido was later sacked.
Al Ahly went through a tough time. Many old stars retired. But the team regained its balance. They met Zamalek for the Super Cup in Dubai in 2015. Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi led Al Ahly to a 3–2 win. This was their ninth Egyptian Super Cup.
Al Ahly won the league title in 2015–16. They were seven points ahead of Zamalek. Al Ahly had the best attack and defense. They won the Premier League for the 39th time. They also played 39 games in a row without losing. Al Ahly set a record of 30 league games without defeat. Under Hossam El-Badry, Al Ahly kept a clean sheet in 30 games.
Al Ahly won the Egyptian Cup for the 36th time. They beat Al Masry 2–1 in the final. Al Masry scored first. Then Amr Gamal equalized. Ahmed Fathy scored the winning goal in the last minute of extra time.
Mahmoud El Khatib Era & African Wins (2017–Present)
On December 1, 2017, Mahmoud El Khatib was elected as the new club president. He won with more votes than Mahmoud Taher.
Al Ahly won the Egyptian Super Cup for the tenth time. They beat Al Masry SC 1–0. Walid Azaro scored the winning goal in extra time.
Al Ahly won the Egyptian Premier League for the third time in a row. This was their fortieth league title. Al Ahly won the title 6 weeks before the end of the season. This was their second fastest league win ever.
Al Ahly won the 2018–19 Egyptian Premier League title for the fourth time in a row. This was their 41st league title. They beat Al Mokawloon Al Arab 3–1. This win put Al Ahly five points ahead of Zamalek. Al Ahly now had 136 trophies in total. This made them one of the most crowned clubs in the world.
On August 31, Rene Weiler became Al Ahly's new coach. He replaced Martin Lasarte. Weiler won his first title in less than a month. Al Ahly won the Egyptian Super Cup for the 11th time. They beat Zamalek 3–2. Junior Ajayi scored two goals. He was the first foreign player to score two goals in the Egyptian Super Cup.
On September 18, Al Ahly won their 42nd Egyptian Premier League title. This was in the 2019-20 season. It was Weiler's second title. He then left the club. Pitso Mosimane became the first South African manager.
On November 27, Al Ahly faced Zamalek in the 2020 CAF Champions League Final. Al Ahly won 2–1. El Solia and Afsha scored. This was their ninth title. No other club has won the CAF Champions League more than five times. A week later, Al Ahly beat El-Gaish in the Egypt Cup Final. They won 3–2 on penalties. With this, Al Ahly won the treble for the third time. They became the first African team to win the continental treble three times.
The FIFA Club World Cup was in February. Al Ahly beat Al Duhail 1–0. This sent them to play against European champions FC Bayern Munich. Bayern beat Al Ahly 2–0. But Al Ahly won the bronze medal for the second time. They beat Palmeiras in the third-place match. Al Ahly is the first and only Arab or African team to win two medals in this tournament.
See also
- List of Al Ahly SC records and statistics
- History of Zamalek SC
- Football in Egypt
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