Cairo derby
Encyclopedia
The Cairo Derby, also known as the Egyptian Clásico or the Egyptian Derby, is a football match between Egyptian clubs Al-Ahly S.C. and Zamalek SC. It is a match between arguably the two most successful clubs in Egypt
and Africa
. Ahly and Zamalek were named by the Confederation of African Football "CAF" as The 1st and 2nd African Clubs of the 20th Century respectively. Both teams are located in Greater Cairo and their matches are considered the highlight of the football season with live broadcast to most of the Arab countries since the seventies. Usually the Derby is played twice each season with 2 matches in the Egyptian Premier League
, but it is not uncommon to find the teams meeting each other in the Egypt Cup and in Africa's most prestigious club competition, the CAF Champions League
.
, the country's top-flight football league. Ahly won their first league title when the Egyptian Premier League
was first created in the 1948-49 season and won 36 domestic titles after that. Zamalek FC managed to win the league 11 times and came second to Al-Ahly FC in the number of Egyptian Premier League
titles won.
Their first ever match in the league ended in a 2-2 draw between the two clubs.
Fans of both clubs can be violent when in anger. Numerous fights, injuries and deaths have been reported before matters became more controlled due to Egypt's authoritarian regime
. Yet many fights and riots still occur after derby matches between both sets of fans, leading the government to post even higher numbers of Central Security Forces
troops in the stadium during the derby.
The number of fights have increased with the increasing popularity of the "ultras
" movement.
In 2008, World Soccer Magazine
selected the Cairo Derby as the 8th most fierce derby in the world.
Top goalscorers
*These Players have played for both El Ahly and El Zamalek.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Ahly and Zamalek were named by the Confederation of African Football "CAF" as The 1st and 2nd African Clubs of the 20th Century respectively. Both teams are located in Greater Cairo and their matches are considered the highlight of the football season with live broadcast to most of the Arab countries since the seventies. Usually the Derby is played twice each season with 2 matches in the Egyptian Premier League
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
, but it is not uncommon to find the teams meeting each other in the Egypt Cup and in Africa's most prestigious club competition, the CAF Champions League
CAF Champions League
The CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition run by the Confederation of African Football . The top club sides from Africa's football leagues are invited to participate in this competition, which is the premier club football competition on the continent and the...
.
The Rivalry
Ever since their creation, both clubs have been the top clubs in the Egyptian Premier LeagueEgyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
, the country's top-flight football league. Ahly won their first league title when the Egyptian Premier League
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
was first created in the 1948-49 season and won 36 domestic titles after that. Zamalek FC managed to win the league 11 times and came second to Al-Ahly FC in the number of Egyptian Premier League
Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League is an Egyptian professional league for football clubs and represents the top flight of Egyptian football. The championship consists of nineteen competing teams in a home and away league system. It is currently known as the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League, after the...
titles won.
Their first ever match in the league ended in a 2-2 draw between the two clubs.
Fans of both clubs can be violent when in anger. Numerous fights, injuries and deaths have been reported before matters became more controlled due to Egypt's authoritarian regime
Politics of Egypt
The government of Egypt, as of February 27, 2011, is a republic currently under military rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after the President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak stepped down following several days of mass protests. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the...
. Yet many fights and riots still occur after derby matches between both sets of fans, leading the government to post even higher numbers of Central Security Forces
Central Security Forces
The 350,000 strong Central Security Forces CSF organization is an Egyptian Paramilitary force which is responsible for assisting the Egyptian National Police for the security of governmental fixed sites, foreign embassies & missions, riots & crowds control, publicly crowded events, high risk...
troops in the stadium during the derby.
The number of fights have increased with the increasing popularity of the "ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
" movement.
In 2008, World Soccer Magazine
World Soccer Magazine
World Soccer is an English language football magazine published by IPC Media. It specialises in the international football scene. Its regular contributing writers include Brian Glanville, Sid Lowe and Tim Vickery. World Soccer is a member of the European Sports Magazines , an umbrella group of...
selected the Cairo Derby as the 8th most fierce derby in the world.
Statistics
As of September 14, 2008, there had been 131 competitive meetings between the two teams. El Ahly won 55 times and El Zamalek won 33 times. The biggest win was for El Ahly when they beaten Zamalek 6-1 in May 16, 2002 in the Egyptian League.| Competition | Total | Al Ahly wins | Draws | El Zamalek wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 106 | 37 | 44 | 25 |
| Cup | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 |
| Super Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| African Champions League | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| African Super Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Friendlies | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 141 | 57 !! 48 !! 36 |
Top goalscorers
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Emad Motaeb | El Ahly | 10 |
| Mohamed Aboutraika* | El Ahly | 10 |
| Hossam Hassan Hossam Hassan Hossam Hassan Hussein is a retired Egyptian footballer who played as a striker, and a current coach.A prolific goalscorer, he amassed well over 150 caps for Egypt, netting more than 50 times... * |
El Ahly and El Zamalek | 9 |
| Alaa El Hamouly | El Zamalek | 8 |
| Saleh Selim Saleh Selim Saleh Selim was a famous Egyptian football player and actor. He was nicknamed El Maestro because of his way of leading the Ahly football team to many victories. He then became the manager of the team, then member of the board of directors of the club... |
El Ahly | 8 |
| Toto | El Ahly | 8 |
- Hossam HassanHossam HassanHossam Hassan Hussein is a retired Egyptian footballer who played as a striker, and a current coach.A prolific goalscorer, he amassed well over 150 caps for Egypt, netting more than 50 times...
scored 5 goals for El Ahly and 4 goals for El Zamalek.
Significant Players
The derby has always been a breeding ground for Egyptian talents to raise their profile. These are players that have been household names for fans of both clubs and the Egyptian national team as both clubs are Egypt's main supplier of national team players.Ahly Players
- Mohamed Aboutraika
- Emad MoteabEmad MoteabEmad Moteab is an Egyptian football striker. He plays for Al-Ahly Egyptian club as well as the Egyptian national team...
- Mohamed BarakatMohamed BarakatMohamed Barakat is an Egyptian footballer. Barakat plays the offensive right wing for Egypt's Al-Ahly and the Egyptian National Team. He is a right-footed attacking midfielder and playmaker. He is considered by many as one of the most talented players in Africa nowadays...
- Khaled Bibo
- Mahmoud El Khatib
- Hazem Abd-Elfattah
- Taher AbouzaidTaher AbouzaidAmer Taher Abouzeid Sayed is a retired Egyptian footballer. He played as a midfielder for El-Ahly and the Egyptian national team....
- Saleh SelimSaleh SelimSaleh Selim was a famous Egyptian football player and actor. He was nicknamed El Maestro because of his way of leading the Ahly football team to many victories. He then became the manager of the team, then member of the board of directors of the club...
- Ahmed ShobairAhmed ShobairAhmed Abdelaziz Shobeir is former Egyptian goalkeeper who played for El Ahly club & Egypt national football team. He is a former vice-president of the Egyptian Football Association, and a previous official of Egyptian national olympic team. He is also a renowned soccer T.V. commentator and show...
- Wael GomaaWael GomaaWael Gomaa is an Egyptian footballer. He plays as a defender for Egypt's African Champion Al-Ahly club as well as Egypt's National Football Team-Club career:...
- Hady KhashabaHady KhashabaHady Sherif Khashaba is an Egyptian former footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a midfielder.-Club career:Khashaba spent his entire professional career with one club, Al-Ahly, from 1991 to 2006....
- Hassan HamdyHassan HamdyHassan Hamdy is the 13th and current president of the Egyptian Al-Ahly Sporting Club. He was the vice president of the club during Saleh Selim's presidency and the chairman of Al-Ahram advertising agency which is part of the Al-Ahram association and the president of the International Advertising...
- Thabet El-BatalThabet El-BatalThabet El-Batal was an Egyptian international goalkeeper.He played club football in his homeland with El Ahly between 1973 and 1991. He is considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers in Egyptian football...
- Flávio AmadoFlávio AmadoFlávio da Silva Amado , better known as Flávio, is an Angolan football forward who most recently played for Lierse S.K in Belgium....
- Ahmad ElAttar
- Mohamed Abd El Wahab
- Essam El Hadary*
Zamalek Players
- Hassan ShehataHassan ShehataHassan Shehata is an Egyptian football coach and former player, currently the head coach of the Zamalek SC.He was the head coach Egyptian national team from 2004 to 2011...
- Hossam HassanHossam HassanHossam Hassan Hussein is a retired Egyptian footballer who played as a striker, and a current coach.A prolific goalscorer, he amassed well over 150 caps for Egypt, netting more than 50 times...
* - Ibrahim HassanIbrahim HassanIbrahim Hassan ; born 10 August 1966 in Cairo) is a retired Egyptian footballer.A right defender, he amassed well over 100 caps for Egypt. His twin brother, Hossam, also played professional football, and they shared clubs for most of their extensive careers....
* - ShikabalaShikabalaMahmoud Abdel Razek Fadlallah , commonly known as Shikabala is an Egyptian footballer who currently plays for Egyptian Premier League club Zamalek SC, where he started his football career...
- Ashraf KasemAshraf KasemAshraf Kassem Raman is a retired Egyptian football player.Kasem played as a defender for Zamalek from 1984 to 1997. He also played for Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia in 1994....
- Gamal HamzaGamal HamzaGamal Hamza is an Egyptian football striker. He currently plays for the Egyptian Premier League side El Gouna FC.-Zamalek:...
- Abdelwahed El-SayedAbdelwahed el-SayedAbdelwahed 'Wahid' El-Sayed is a goalkeeper for El Zamalek and the Egyptian soccer team. He was also a part of Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations in 2002,2004,2006 and 2010. He is credited with helping the El Zamalek win the 2002 CAF Champions League and his first international appearance was in 2003...
- Abdel Halim AliAbdel Halim AliAbdel Halim Ali is an Egyptian footballer.-Career:Ali currently plays for the Egyptian side El Zamalek as well as the Egypt national football team. He was a member of the Egypt squad in the 2006 African Cup of Nations which Egypt was the champion...
- Farouk GaafarFarouk GaafarFarouk Gaafar فاروق جعفر is an Egyptian former football player and manager.He played midfielder for Zamalek and the Egypt national football team...
- Hazem EmamHazem EmamHazem Emam is a retired Egyptian footballer. He spent most of his career as an attacking midfielder for Zamalek SC. Hazem is one of the most talented players in the history of Egyptian football, and one of the most popular players ever in the Middle East.-Early life:Hazem was born in Mohandessin,...
- Emmanuel Amuneke
- Amr ZakiAmr ZakiAmr Zaki is an Egyptian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Zamalek and the Egypt national team. He is known for his strong headers and for being a top striker in Africa.-Early career:...
- Ismail YoussefIsmail YoussefIsmail Youssef Awadallah Mohamed is a former Egyptian football player. He is currently the assistant manager of the Egyptian Premier League giants; Zamalek. Ismail is the youngest brother of two football players; El Sayed and Ibrahim.-Zamalek:...
- Ibrahim YoussefIbrahim YoussefIbrahim Youssef Awadallah is a retired Eyptian football player.He played for Zamalek as a defender. He competed for Egypt at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles...
- Nader El-SayedNader El-SayedNader El-Sayed is a notable Egyptian goalkeeper, who currently retired and he last played for Egyptian Premier League club ENPPI, and has been capped more than 100 times with the Egyptian national team.-Club career:...
* - Ahmed El-KassAhmed El-KassAhmed Abdou El-Kass is a former Egyptian football player and sports manager.-Career:El-Kass played club football for Olmypi, Zamalek and Ithad in the Egyptian Premier League...
- Hani Said*
- Mohamed Abdel-ShafyMohamed Abdel-ShafyMohamed Abdel-Shafy is an Egyptian footballer who plays as a Left-back for Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek. He is also a member of the Egypt national football team and was part of the squad that won the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations....
- Ahmed GaafarAhmed GaafarAhmed Gaafar is an Egyptian footballer. He currently plays as a center forward for Zamalek.-Career:...
- Raouf Aziz
- Ali MohsenAli MohsenAli Mohsen Al-Moraisi was Yemen’s greatest football player, and the first to ply his trade in the Egyptian league with Arab giants Zamalek in the 1960s...
- Hussein Yasser*
*These Players have played for both El Ahly and El Zamalek.
External links
- Zamalek - Al Ahly (Results), Football Derbies
- Cairo derby divides an entire nation, ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
- Cairo giants get ready for battle, FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
official website - Egypt's big two meet in showdown, FIFA official website
- Cairo's ancient rivalry