Al-Ahly coach upbeat ahead of African Champions League final

LISBON: Al-Ahly s Portuguese coach Manuel Jose is confident his Egyptian side can overcome CS Sfaxien of Tunisia in the African Champions League final, which gets under way at the end of the month. The title holders will face first-time finalists CS Sfaxien in their hometown Cairo on Oct. 29 while the return match will be played in Tunis, the Tunisian capital, in the beginning of November. They are going to play in the capital where they are considered to be the enemy. That could be good for us, he said in an interview published Wednesday in Portuguese sports daily A Bola. Sfaxien, which are based in the city of Sfax located some 270 km out of Tunis, decided to host its leg of the final at Tunis 60,000-capacity Rades Stadium because its own venue would not have enough capacity for the match. Jose, who joined Al-Ahly for the first time in 2001 and returned in 2004 after a spell at Portuguese side Belenenses, said he wants to stay on at the Egyptian club for the foreseeable future. It s difficult to leave Al-Ahly. They like me, I feel good here and I always play to win. I have had various invitations to coach in the Middle East but they want magicians there, not managers, he said. I have stability in Egypt and I continue to be motivated. It s my ambition to continue to win titles, he added. Jose led Al-Ahly to the African Champions League title in 2001 as well as last season.