Egypt’s Al Ahly SC will face Morocco’s Wydad SC in the final of the CAF Champions League at Mohammed V Stadium on 30 May.
Mahmoud Al-Khatib, the president of Al Ahly and the team’s mission to Morocco, supervises the team’s preparations for their third Champions League final in a row. Al Ahly won the two previous titles and will aspire to add another trophy to their cabinet in an unprecedented continental achievement. It would be the 11th continental title in the history of the club.
Actually, Al Ahly also compete with Spain’s Real Madrid for the most crowned club in the world, as Al-Ahly have 24 continental titles, while Real Madrid won 26 titles so far, and both of them will play the Champions League final this year in their respective continents, where Real Madrid will face Liverpool.
Al Ahly’s mission flew from Cairo to Morocco on Wednesday, headed by Al-Khatib. He spoke with the players before traveling, and asked them to play calmly in Morocco, even if the match was to be held at the opponent’s stadium, noting that he had great confidence in their abilities and that they could win the title again and make the fans happy, as he promised them great rewards in the event of achieving this achievement and participating in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Al Ahly’s South African coach Pitso Mosimane was keen to watch the recent matches of the Moroccan side, especially their game against Angola’s Petro Atlético de Luanda in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, to learn the team’s strengths and weaknesses, and to set the optimal scenario for the final game, as the coach excels in preparing his players for such historic matches.
Mosimane himself will aspire to write history, as he looks to equal the record of Al Ahly’s former coach Manuel Jose, who won the African title with the Reds three times. The South African coach won the title twice with Al Ahly and once with Mamelodi Sundowns, which would put him in an exceptional position among the African coaches.
Sayed Abdel Hafeez, the football director, was keen to coordinate with the Egyptian embassy in Morocco to arrange the reception of the mission in Casablanca, as well as the residence hotel and training grounds, in coordination with the Moroccan side.
The team’s managing director, Samir Adly, flew to Morocco 24 hours before the mission, to solve any obstacles that the team might face in Morocco.
