Ismaily Boss Sticks to Silence: No Official Word from Sport Ministry, Club Denies Financial Blame

Ismaily leadership responds to ministerial move

Ismaily Sporting Club’s chairman, Nasser Abu Al Hassan, says he has seen no official notification about any sports ministry decision through formal channels and only learned of it via media coverage and the ministry’s website. He maintains that, at present, he has not been formally informed while he continues his day-to-day duties.

The club’s leadership asserts that the current board has been suspended from registration and faces a heavy financial load, with debts approaching $9 million, plus about 5 million Egyptian pounds owed to the water company and an equivalent 5 million for electricity. There are also obligations totaling around 36 million pounds to the Egyptian Football Association, in addition to other international and local dues.

The president notes that international fines totaling roughly $6.5 million have already been addressed, and the authorities conducted inspections up to July with no violations detected. He argues that none of the alleged irregularities were found during the review but emphasises ongoing tensions and procedural hurdles.

Abu al-Hassan also reveals attempts by a governorate official to appoint a “shadow” board of four names to manage the club, a proposal he rejected, which he says partly explains the timing of today’s decision.

He adds that the club faces tax obligations around 200 million pounds and that some international debts were settled personally by him. He asserts that the current board has paid all players’ dues and that no player currently owes money to the club, a claim supported by internal reports that accompany his statements. The inability to recruit new players stems from the transfer ban tied to the governance crisis.

The Ismaily chief outlines the broader dispute: a number of international cases involve the club, while taxes and international debts have strained finances. He contends that the previous board created the mess and that he sought state support, though the ministry’s aid appears to have gone to the prior administration in the form of 60 million pounds across six installments. He stresses that there is documented evidence backing his claims.

On the legal side

Dr. Ashraf Sabbahi, the youth and sports minister’s spokesperson, confirmed that the minister decided to refer the current Ismaily board, the club’s chief executive, finance chief, and head of athletic activities to the public prosecutor for investigation into the financial and administrative matters uncovered during inspections. The minister also announced the temporary committee mechanism to oversee club operations until the next general assembly, with Ismailia’s youth directorate charged with keeping things running in the meantime.

The ministry indicated it would move quickly to coordinate with Ismailia Governorate and the Suez Canal Authority to secure sponsorship and private-sector programs, aiming to provide stable revenue and help Ismaily navigate this challenging period while upholding transparency and discipline.

In parallel, Ismaily’s board had opened a donations channel to address the club’s acute liquidity crunch, a response prompted by ongoing delays and FIFA transfer-window restrictions that have hindered player acquisitions.

Conclusion

Abu al-Hassan reiterates that the current turmoil is not a result of his actions and that the club’s finances must be scrutinized under proper legal oversight. He warns that without decisive reforms and steady sponsorship, the team’s competitive prospects and financial health may continue to suffer. Also, the club’s leadership pledges full cooperation with investigators and a commitment to restoring order and accountability.

Humor break: If budgets were footballs, Ismaily would need a bigger net to catch all the receipts—talk about a net gain, right? And if the transfer window were a dating app, Ismaily’s profile would say, “Swipe left on drama, swipe right for transparency.”