Ahly will not accept the changes made to the Egyptian Premier League schedule that had been set by the Egyptian Football association (EFA) on 8 January, the club announced via their official website on Thursday. The club announced that they are committed to the decision made during the urgent board meeting held on 9 February in response to suggestions brought up by rivals Zamalek and Pyramids FC to make amendments to the schedule.

Ahly made the most of Zamalek s slip-up to grab a 3-1 win over Dakhleya on Wednesday and close to within seven points of their bitter rivals on top of the Egyptian Premier League with a game in hand. Two goals from lively right-back Mohamed Handi and Nigerian striker Junior Ajayi gave Ahly a 2-0 lead at halftime but Dakhleya briefly threatened to stage a comeback similar to the one Talae El-Geish did earlier in the day to hold Zamalek to an exciting 2-2 draw. Ahmed Saied converted a dubious second-half penalty as Dakhleya revived their hopes to restore parity but Angolan winger Geraldo, a January recruit who shone in the absence of suspended winger Ramadan Sobhi, ensured Ahly s victory with a stoppage-time goal.

Manchester United must build on their 2-0 win over defending champions Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup and go all the way to the final, caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said. United have had to play two tough away games at fellow Premier League top-four contenders, Arsenal and Chelsea, to reach the quarter-finals, and now play another top flight side in Wolverhampton Wanderers in the next round.

Football fans will witness a new El Clásico at 10:30 on Wednesday between FC Barcelona and its rival Real Madrid CF in the semifinals first leg in the Copa del Rey. The stronghold of FC Barcelona will host the first game, while the second game will be played in its rivals home on 27 February.

Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck expressed solidarity with Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah after West Ham United fans chanted racist insults against him, during Monday s West Ham United-Liverpool match in the 25th round of the Premier League, which ended 1/1. Speaking to the UAE s Al Bayan newspaper, Welbeck said “I am deeply saddened by what happened, it is unacceptable and must stop not in England but in all the world s stadiums.” “We need deterrent decisions,” he added.

Egypt s Zamalek were punished for wasting a plethora of goal-scoring chances after conceding a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw at home to Algeria s NA Hussein Dey which left them without a win in two-group stage games at the African Confederation Cup. The hosts took the lead on the quarter-hour mark, thanks to a maiden goal by Morocco striker Khalid Boutaib, and they looked on their way to a comfortable win after creating chances at will. However, their wastefulness cost them dear, with the Algerians striking at the death after a defensive lapse as a 90th-minute goal from Faouzi Yaya on the second attempt broke the hearts of a vociferous crowd at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium.

I just can’t believe how supporters of Egypt’s two biggest football teams used to curse each other all the time on social media,” Mohamed Salah posted on his official Twitter account, expressing his disbelief. Shocked by the Egyptian supporters’ continuous trading of insults on Twitter, Salah criticized the non-stop frustration between Al-Ahly and Zamalek supporters, which is clearly reflected in social media posts.

Egypt s Ahly suffered their first CAF Champions League group stage defeat after losing 1-0 to Tanzanian side Simba at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, with an error-ridden defensive display costing them dearly. Only 10 days after their embarrassing 5-0 defeat in Cairo, a spirited performance from Simba helped them take revenge as they managed to restrict Ahly to some tame efforts, preventing them from creating enough scoring chances.

Manchester United will not sit back when Paris St Germain visit Old Trafford for the first leg of their last 16 Champions League meeting on Tuesday, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said. United are unbeaten in all competitions since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December and their improvement is down to the Norwegian s insistence on an attacking style of play, as opposed to the defensive fare served up by his predecessor.

Manchester City s on-fire striker Sergio Aguero struck his second hat-trick in a week as the champions ruthlessly destroyed woeful Chelsea in a 6-0 win at The Etihad on Sunday to return to the top of the Premier League. City and Liverpool are both on 65 points with City having the better goal difference although they have played one more game than their rivals. Third-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Leicester City 3-1 earlier on Sunday, are five points behind.

Tottenham Hotspur s Premier League north London derby against Arsenal will be played at Wembley Stadium as the club still awaits safety certificates on its new ground. In January the club said all its February home fixtures would be staged at their adopted Wembley home owing to continued delays to their new 62,000-seater ground which is costing close to one billion pounds ($1.3 billion).

Tickets for the upcoming African Cup of Nations will be available online for football fans as Egypt continues preparations to host the prestigious biennial tournament, Minister of Sports Ashraf Sobhy said Sunday. "It is one of the biggest sports events," Sobhy said in a seminar at the Cairo International Book Fair. "We will organise the tournament to the highest level."

Manchester United have opened talks with Marcus Rashford over a new and improved contract following the forward s impressive run of form under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, reports said on Tuesday. The 21-year-old scored his 10th goal of the season in Sunday s 1-0 win at Leicester, becoming the second-youngest player to reach 100 Premier League appearances for United after Ryan Giggs.

Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah was named the PFA Player of the Month for January on Monday, beating David de Gea, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Troy Deeney and Leroy Sane in the fan poll. This is the second month in a row that Salah, 26, has won the award. In January he scored once against Brighton and twice against Crystal Palace, maintaining his leading position in the Premier League Golden Boot race.

Egypt s Zamalek produced an error-ridden defensive display to slump to a stunning 4-2 defeat at Kenya s Gor Mahia in their opening group stage game of the African Confederation Cup on Sunday. In an end-to-end first half, Gor Mahia s Jacques Tuyisenge and Zamalek winger Ibrahim Hassan scored two goals apiece as both sides went to the locker room tied at 2-2. In the second half, Zamalek committed a series of costly and uncharacteristic mistakes at the back, with their players appearing to drag their feet as Gor Mahia took control. Nicholas Kipkirui put the hosts ahead early in the second half and veteran striker Dennis Oliech ensured the win with a stoppage time goal as Zamalek s shaky defence was torn apart.

Ahly defender Ramy Rabia and striker Amr Gamal have officially been registered in the club s domestic squad, the club announced on Wednesday. "After a meeting on Wednesday, the technical staff decided to register Rabia and Gamal in the domestic squad," Ahly s football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz told the club s official website.

Liverpool wasted a chance to take complete control of the Premier League title race as Leicester earned a 1-1 draw against the leaders, while Chelsea s bid for a top-four finish was rocked by a humiliating 4-0 thrashing at Bournemouth on Wednesday. After second-placed Manchester City lost at Newcastle on Tuesday, Jurgen Klopp s side would have moved seven points clear at the top with a win over Leicester.

Defending champions Ahly survived a late scare to see off Wadi Degla and claim a precious 2-1 win, cutting Zamalek s lead down to nine points on Monday. The Red Devils looked to be heading to a comfortable victory as Amr El-Sulaya opened the scoring in the 17th minute and Tunisia s left back Ali Maaloul doubled their lead just past the hour mark. However Wadi Degla grabbed a lifeline as Mohamed Helal scored an 86th-minute penalty to pile pressure on their visitors during the final minutes.

The Confederation of African Football have announced that the 2019 African Cup of Nations will start on 21 June and end on 13 July. The draw will be held at the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx on 12 April. Egypt will host AFCON 2019 after original host Cameroon was stripped of its duties due to delays in its preparations for the expanded 24-team tournament.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided early Sunday to delay the launch date of the 2019 African Cup of Nations to start 21 June instead of 14 June, Egyptian Football Association (EFA) Vice President Ahmed Shobir announced. "A number of North African countries asked the CAF to delay the opening of the tournament for one week because of fasting in Ramadan as well as celebrating Eid Al-Fitr," Shobir said on his private television sports programme.

Ahly winter signing Ramadan Sobhi has celebrated his 22nd birthday with a dazzling display as Ahly defeated Maqassa 3-0 in a league game at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium on Thursday. The winger, who turned 22 on Wednesday, scored a goal and provided another in Thursday s win. Sobhi s goal is his first since joining Ahly from Premier League side Huddersfield on a six-month loan deal in January.