Emergency Planning Meeting Sparks Turbulence as Al Ahly Eyes Torup Era
13 October 2025
Emergency Planning Meeting at Al Ahly
Mahmoud El Khatib, chairman of Al Ahly, has called an emergency meeting of the Planning Committee for tomorrow, Tuesday, at the club's headquarters on Gezira Island.
A source inside Al Ahly told Kooora that El Khatib had called the Planning Committee meeting, despite there being no agenda items at the moment, following the signing of Danish coach Torup.
He added that what attracted the attention of the Planning Committee, chaired by Mokhtar Mokhtar, with Zakharia Nasif on the board, along with sporting director Mohamed Youssef and football operations manager Walid Salah Eldin, was only the notification of the meeting time.
He noted that no agenda had been set for the meeting, and there was no discussion of winter transfers, as it is still early; Torup needs time to assess players and decide which contracts to release.
Three scenarios for the Planning Committee were outlined.
For example, the first scenario would set financial terms for players whose deals expire this season, with a view to keeping Ahmed Nabil Coca, Aliou Diang, and Hussein Al-Shahat, while others might see contract adjustments.
The second scenario involves restructuring the department's organizational framework. The third scenario states that the new board will decide the Planning Committee's fate, with a decision due by October 31.
Attendance by Sayed Abdel Hafiz, a candidate for a board seat, at the meeting was discussed. Some believed his presence in the last session indicated his views on the coach chosen.
El Khatib then held a lengthy session with Torup after the Danish coach's official signing. Torup said the president outlined the club's history, achievements, popularity, and trophy cabinet. He added that Khatib spoke about work pressures and the fans who chase victory. Torup will earn 250,000 euros per month, alongside five assistants; Adl Mustafa remains in the foreign staff. Imad Al-Nahhas refused the post of assistant coach for the youth sector after thanks for his time with the first team.
Training was postponed. Torup's first session with the team was postponed 24 hours. The club will resume training tomorrow evening at Mokhtar El-Tetesh stadium, preparing for the Saturday match against Eagle Nwar Burundi in the CAF Champions League first round. Torup attended Egypt's game with Guinea-Bissau at Cairo Stadium, in the World Cup qualifiers. A source within Al Ahly explained the third postponement was due to the late arrival of his foreign staff. Torup will bring five assistants, including two coaches, a conditioning coach, an analyst, and a goalkeeping coach; all are due in Cairo today. Reason two is giving international players 24 hours' rest after yesterday's match against Guinea-Bissau, before resuming training at El-Tetesh. Reason three is waiting for the return of international players and foreigners such as Gradyshar, Ashraf Ben-Shirqi, Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan, and Aliu Dieng from their national teams. Reason four is awaiting the return of Mohamed Sherif, Yassin Marai, and Afsha who are with the Egypt national team camp in Morocco. Trip to Burundi. The team travels to Burundi by private jet for the away leg against Eagle Nwar Burundi in the CAF CL 32nd round. The technical staff scheduled travel for Thursday to Burundi for the decisive tie. Leading the delegation is Dr. Mohamed Shawky, board member, in his final trip as he will not run in the next elections. Eagle Nwar Burundi advanced to the round after beating AS Telecom Telecommunication Djibouti in the prior round.
Punchline: If meetings burned calories, this one would be a full marathon. Punchline 2: My calendar just filed for an emergency transfer to the jokes department.
