Zamalek President Mortada Mansour has been suspended from football activities in three matches and fined EGP 100,000 as a disciplinary measure, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Tuesday. "Mansour s ban comes after his insulting statements against the head of the refereeing committee and the referee of Zamalek s latest league match against Smouha," read a statement by the EFA s disciplinary committee. The Whites were held to a 0-0 draw against Alexandrian club Smouha on Friday, their second draw since the season start, to stumble again in the Egyptian Premier League race. Meanwhile, Smouha s President Mohamed Farag Amer was also suspended for one match and fined EGP 50,000 for his offensive declarations against the referee of the league match against Aswan on 15 December. The disciplinary committee also censured Ahly s football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz for his recent criticism of the referees, warning that he would be punished if he repeated the same actions. Champions Ahly currently lead the league table with 24 points from eight matches, while Zamalek lie fourth with 14 points also with eight matches.

Egypt s national squash team smashed second seeds England 2-0 in the WSF Men s World Team Squash Championship final early Sunday to claim their fifth title in Washington, DC. Karim Abdel Gawad defeated Declan James 3-2 (9-11, 11-4, 8-11., 11-9, 12-10) in 107 minutes to give Egypt a lead over England in the tournament s final.

Egyptian Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah and Zamalek midfielder Tarek Hamed have been included in Confederation of African Football (CAF) shortlist of nominees for the 28th edition of its annual football awards. The 31-year-old Hamed is competing in the African Interclubs Player of the Year award while Liverpool s Salah vies for the senior African Player of the Year award. The CAF said in a statement Sunday that the winners will be revealed 7 January at the Citadel Azure in Hurghada, Egypt. The CAF awards is annual event to celebrate African footballers and officials who have distinguished themselves during the year. "The Interclubs Player of the Year will be decided upon by the head coaches and captains of the group phase of the current season of CAF Interclubs competitions," read a statement on the official CAF website. Full shortlist of nominees for CAF Awards 2019: African Player of the Year Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Liverpool) Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City) Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool) African Interclubs Player of the Year Anice Badri (Tunisia & Esperance) Tarek Hamed (Egypt & Zamalek) Youcef Belaïli (Algeria & Esperance / Ahli Jeddah) African Youth Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi (Morocco & Borussia Dortmund) Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria & Villarreal) Victor Osimhen (Nigeria & Lille) African Men s Coach of the Year Aliou Cisse (Senegal - Senegal) Djamel Belmadi (Algeria - Algeria) Moïne Chaâbani (Tunisia - Esperance) African Men s National Team of the Year Algeria Madagascar Senegal African Women s Player of the Year Ajara Nchout (Cameroon & Valerenga) Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria & Barcelona) Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa & Beijing Phoenix FC) African Women s Coach of the Year Alain Djeumfa (Cameroon) Desiree Ellis (South Africa) Thomas Dennerby (Nigeria) African Women s National Team of the Year Cameroon Nigeria South Africa

Roger Federer arrives for his interview at the precise appointed time, steering his white sedan into a parking spot in an industrial area dotted by art galleries about 15 minutes from his luxury apartment in this home-away-from-home. After obliging a selfie request from someone on the street, Federer makes his way up to a second-story loft area and sits. He crosses his legs, kneads his right calf and winces. “Just started training. I m surprised I could walk the stairs as good as I have,” Federer says with a laugh. “My calves are, like, killing me. Just getting back into it. The shock on the body is, I don t want to say immense, every time, but I ve been on vacation for two weeks. The shock just hits you hard.”

Barcelona s record-breaking teenage sensation Ansu Fati has the ability and character to make an impact against Real Madrid in Wednesday s Clasico at the Camp Nou, says club great Carles Puyol. Fati became Barca s youngest-ever league scorer in August when he netted against Osasuna aged 16 and last week became the youngest scorer in Champions League history by striking the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan.

Talae El-Gaish stunned Zamalek 3-2 at home on Monday to grab their first victory of the season. Goals from Mohamed Shehata, Nasser Mansi and Ahmed Samir wrapped up the victory for the military side while Mostafa Mohamed and Karim Bambou scored the Whites consolation goals. The victory takes El-Gaish away from the danger zone to the 12th place with 7 points after seven games. After three straight victories, Patrice Carteron s winning debut came to an end as Zamalek dropped to the fourth place with 13 points, five behind leaders Ahly who have a game in hand.

Thirteen-times winners Real Madrid were drawn against English champions Manchester City while title-holders Liverpool must face Diego Simeone s Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 following Monday s draw. Real Madrid ended up in pot two after finishing second in their group behind Paris St Germain and City were the unlucky team to be paired with them when their name was pulled out at UEFA headquarters. City, who will be at home in the second leg, have yet to beat the Spanish side with two draws and two defeats in their previous four meetings. However, their manager Pep Guardiola has a much more encouraging record with nine wins, four draws and four defeats in 17 meetings as coach of Barcelona and then Bayern Munich. "It s a difficult one," said Manchester City s director of football Txiki Begiristain. "Real Madrid are the best. We want to be the best so we have to try and beat them. It s always a pleasure to play against Real Madrid. We know them very well. They know our manager." Liverpool and Atletico Madrid s previous meetings have produced one win for each team and two draws with both teams scoring four goals. Only Europe s biggest five leagues -- England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain -- were represented in the draw and 11 of the 16 teams also reached the knockout stages last season. Both England and Spain managed to get all four of their teams into knockout stages. Elsewhere, Serie A champions Juventus will face French side Olympique Lyonnais and PSG will play Borussia Dortmund. Barcelona were pitted against an unpredictable Napoli, the first time the two sides have ever met. Napoli fired coach Carlo Ancelotti immediately after beating Genk to make sure of their place in the last 16 and replaced him with Gennaro Gattuso, who has never coached in the Champions League before. "A great team, a great challenge, two fascinating races. We will face them without fear," he said. Jose Mourinho s Tottenham Hotspur side, who reached the final last season, will play RB Leipzig, who are in the knockout stages for the first time, while Chelsea were drawn against Bayern Munich. Despite their erratic domestic form, Bayern were the only team to complete the group stage with a 100% record. Serie A side Atalanta, who reached the last 16 on their first participation in the Champions League despite losing their first three group matches, were drawn against Valencia.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus bounced back from their first defeat of the season to beat Udinese 3-1 and move top of Serie A on Sunday. Ronaldo struck twice in the first half to make it five goals in four games as champions Juve move one point ahead of leaders Inter Milan ahead of their trip to off-form Fiorentina later on Sunday. Maurizio Sarri s side had taken just one point from their last two league games, falling 3-1 to Lazio in Rome last weekend after a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo the previous week. But Portuguese star Ronaldo tapped in his first after nine minutes at the Allianz Stadium, and burst through to finish off a Gonzalo Higuain cross on 36 minutes. Leonardo Bonucci sealed the three points just before the break when he headed in from close range. Ignacio Pussetto pulled a goal back for 17th-placed Udinese four minutes into injury time with his close range effort beating Gianluigi Buffon in the Juventus goal. Juventus play their final Serie A game before the winter break at Sampdoria on Wednesday, before a rematch against Lazio in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia next weekend. Atalanta fell 2-1 at Bologna just days after the Champions League newcomers sealed their place in the competition s last 16 despite losing their first three matches. Rodrigo Palacio tapped in the first after 12 minutes for Bologna off a rebound after a Riccardo Orsolini effort came off the post. Andrea Poli nodded in the second eight minutes after the break, before Ruslan Malinovskyi connected with a Musa Barrow cross to pull a goal back on the hour mark. AC Milan lack party spirit Atalanta failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority late on, as Bologna played the last five minutes a man down after Brazilian defender Danilo was sent off for two bookable offences. Gian Piero Gasperini s side are sixth on 28 points, one point off the Champions League places, with European rivals Cagliari, Lazio and Roma still to play this weekend. AC Milan were held to a goalless draw against Sassuolo at the San Siro as the former European giants marked their 120th anniversary in tepid style. Theo Hernandez had a goal ruled out after half an hour following a Franck Kessie handball in the buildup, with Rafael Leao hitting the crossbar and the post. Stefano Pioli s side failed to make it three wins in a row and sit 10th with Sassuolo four places and five points below. Hellas Verona battled back from three goals down with all three substitutes scoring in a 15-minute second-half spell to hold Torino 3-3. Torino had taken a comfortable lead at the Stadio Bentegodi after Christian Ansaldi scored a brace with Alex Berenguer also on target for the visitors. But the hosts hit back with three goals after 69 minutes from players who all came off the bench. Giampaolo Pazzini converted a penalty on 69 minutes after Gleison Bremer was deemed to have used his elbow to block the ball. Pazzini was then involved in the second with Valerio Verre smashing in off a rebound, before Mariusz Stepinski added a third by pounching on a defensive error from Ola Aina to finish off. Torino are ninth, with Verona two points back in 12th, in the hosts final match before the winter break. Torino next play SPAL on Saturday.

Defending champions Ahly maintained their 100 percent start to the Egyptian Premier League to move top with an easy 3-0 victory over Wadi Degla on Wednesday. Ramadan Sobhi continued his rich vein of form to open the scoring early in the second half, taking his tally to five league goals in as many games. Substitute Walid Azaro doubled the lead on 72 minutes before Ahmed El-Sheikh, who also came on in the second half, wrapped up the win with a stoppage-time strike. Ahly s fifth victory from as many games lifted them to the top with 15 points, two ahead of second-placed Ittihad who played a game more. Degla s struggles persisted as they lie at the bottom with only three points from seven matches. The hosts adopted their trademark bold tactics, with their high backline exposing them to repeated Ahly attacks, which yielded two clear-cut chances in the first half. Veteran goalie Mohamed Abdel-Monsef, 42, charged out to thwart Ramadan Sobhi and Junior Ajayi in one-on-ones as Degla kept their fancied opponents at bay. But their resistance did not last for long as Ahly broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Abdel-Monsef could only push a cross into the path of Sobhi inside the area, with the in-form winger skipping past his challenger and beating the keeper with a low, close-range shot at his near post. Degla spurned a golden chance to level the score five minutes past the hour mark when Tunisian forward Rafik Kabou broke clear, only for Ahly keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi to rush out and smother his shot with his leg. But any comeback hopes they had were demolished when Azaro added the third with a simple tap-in from a Hussein El-Shahat cross. Fellow substitute El-Sheikh volleyed home from close range in stoppage time as Ahly secured a routine win.

Ahly are likely to maintain their winning start in the Egyptian Premier League when they meet lowly Wadi Degla, who will be eager to arrest a slump in form that saw them drop to the bottom of the table. Defending champions Ahly, who are eyeing a fifth consecutive league crown, won their opening four matches of the new campaign with a swagger, producing vivid attacking displays in the process. They netted a staggering 14 goals in those matches, conceding only once. Their seemingly irresistible form has earned Ahly s new coach Rene Weiler wide acclaim, although the team suffered a minor setback when they tasted their defeat under the Swiss, losing 1-0 to Tunisia s Etoile Sahel in their opening game of the African Champions League group stage. They recovered with a 2-1 home win over Sudanese giants Al-Hilal and will be looking to continue their perfect domestic run at the expense of a struggling Degla outfit. Degla are known for their swift passing game under Greek coach Takis Gonias but their defensive frailties often hamper them. They made a poor start to the season, collecting just three points from six matches and conceding eight goals. In addition to long-term absentees Mohamed Mahmoud and Mahmoud Metwalli, Ahly will also miss Tunisian left-back Ali Maaloul as he still nurses an injury.

Egyptian Premier League title holders Ahly are reportedly close to snatching the services of former Zamalek winger Mahmoud "Kahraba" Abdel-Moneim when the winter transfer window reopens next January. Kahraba, who joined Portuguese side CD Aves last summer, terminated his contract with the latter after agreeing on paying the release clause. The Red Devils have reportedly reached an agreement with Kahraba to sign a 4.5-year contract with the team after agreeing to fund the release clause. The 25-year-old sparked controversy after opting to unilaterally terminate his contract with Zamalek to move to Aves in the close season. Kahraba said his contract was not valid and had already run out. Zamalek, however, said the player had signed an extension and could not leave without the club s consent. The former Zamalek star is known for his silky moves and catchy feints down the flank as well as his goal-scoring abilities, but he is often criticised for failing to live up to his potential due to his disciplinary problems. He had brief and unsuccessful spells in European football with Swiss duo Luzern and Grasshopper.

Even though there are still a few weeks until Christmas, several Bundesliga teams picked up early presents on matchday 14. Bayern unraveled, Dortmund dominated and the league continues to be exciting. Good week for: The Bundesliga, Lucien Favre, Jadon Sancho, Jonathan Schmid, Timo Werner, Ramy Bensebaini Bad week for: Bayern, Wolfsburg, Florian Kohfeldt, Cologne, Javi Martinez The lowdown: Gladbach secured a stunning comeback win against Bayern Munich to stay top of the table, and seven points clear of the defending champions. Having been outplayed in the first half, the visitors emerged stronger in the second after going a goal down. Hero of the day was Ramy Bensebaini. The Algerian left back scored a powerful header and then a last-minute penalty that saw Javi Martinez sent off. For the second week in a row, Bayern were left wondering how they lost a game. Gladbach and Marco Rose, meanwhile, feel pretty good about life at the top. Dortmund found their groove again, smashing Fortuna Düsseldorf who now look a side in trouble. Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho both scored two and assisted one in a breakout second half from the home side. Wearing a slick all black kit dedicated to the city s mining heritage, Dortmund left the visitors chasing shadows. The win puts them two points clear of Bayern, and five off Gladbach. Now they just need to stay consistent. Christian Streich deserves yet another medal for yet another season of defying the odds. Granted there s a way to go, but Freiburg are fifth with the Christmas break not far away. Jonathan Schmid from a set-piece proved enough for the club that now has one more point than Bayern. Augsburg also deserve credit for upsetting the odds, albeit on a different level. Martin Schmidt has done a great job with a limited squad and the team are firmly placed in the middle of the table after beating a previously resurgent Mainz side. Union Berlin s win against Cologne was a result of yet another solid performance from the hosts. It was also a reminder that despite Cologne s rich history, it s Union who look far more at home in Germany s top flight. Under Urs Fischer, the club have won their last four home games without conceding. They now have seven more points than their Berlin rivals Hertha and are just five points off Bayern Munich. What a season so far for the newcomers. With Gladbach leading the table, there hasn t been much room to talk about the side in second but RB Leipzig may well win the title this season. They have given themselves a great chance, thanks largely to Julian Nagelsmann s ability to manage his team, in particular Timo Werner. The German striker just keeps scoring, and two more against Hoffenheim helped them on their way to their fifth straight win. Watch out. The quotes: "What can I say about it? I m a goalkeeper." Manuel Neuer on Bayern Munich s poor chance-conversion rate "Whoever plays good football needs a good pitch." Bayer Leverkusen s Peter Bosz "This is something for the ages. On December 7, 2019, Freiburg were ahead of Bayern Munich after matchday 14. That s great for a historical follow-up." Freiburg s Christian Streich "It s a bit annoying because I don t like to talk much." Jonathan Schmid on all the interviews he had to do after his goal "It s Christmas, it s in the club shop. It s a great Christmas present. It was appropriate for today. After the home win I was in a great mood, and then I m game for anything. It s the second Advent, three points, nice jumper - everything fits." Augsburg s Martin Schmidt on his choice of attire for the press conference "Work is on the to-do list. And Swabians love to work." Jürgen Klinsmann, who grew up in and around the region of Swabia, on how the next few weeks look for Hertha Berlin The stats: Dortmund have scored in each of their last 31 Bundesliga home games (87 goals). That s a club record. Four of Union s last seven goals have been Sebastian Andersson headers. Jonathan Schmid s direct free kick for Freiburg against Wolfsburg was the eighth direct free kick goal of Schmid s career. No current Bundesliga player has scored more. Bayern have now lost 21 games in Mönchengladbach. The record champions have not lost more games anywhere else. RB Leipzig had 25 shots on goal against Hoffenheim, a record high for them this season. Thorgan Hazard is now the all-time leading Belgian goalscorer in the Bundesliga with 34 goals. Claudio Pizarro is the first Bundesliga player to have faced 38 different opponents. The weird: The VAR saga will endure, but late on Sunday Paderborn felt the joy of the technology working in their favor. In an otherwise drab game, Paderborn stole a late win in curious fashion. A long-range shot deflected off Streli Mamba to land at the feet of Sven Michel, who tapped in. The original decision was offside, but the VAR stepped in and noticed that Bremen defender Gebre Selassie was keeping Mamba onside and so the goal was given, which allowed Paderborn to seal just their second win of the season. Michel and the Paderborn fans were sent into delirium, proving that the technology can be a hero and not always the villain.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received on Saturday the Olympic national team for football, the winners of the African Cup of Nations Under-23 who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, alongside various other Egyptian athletes to award them the “Egyptian Sports Medal”. Those awarded were the players of the national squash team who won the world championships for adults and juniors, the national karate team that won the World Youth Championship, and the participating national Paralympic mission to the World Championship held recently in Australia, in addition to their coaches. The President praised the achievements made by these sporting champions, and their contributions towards strengthening Egypt s position on the regional and international sporting scene. He stressed his appreciation for Egypt s athletes, as they represent role models for youth in pushing on to achieve their goals and in excelling. Sisi ordered the relevant bodies to provide the necessary capabilities towards the Egyptian athletes, ensuring they have full support to achieve further sporting achievements. The honored athletes expressed their pride to receive this honoring from the president. They said that this honor represents an additional incentive for them to raise Egypt s reputation even further in the sporting world. The honoring ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy, and heads and officials of the relevant national sports federations.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the final list of candidates for the African Player of the Year award, which includes Egypt s football superstar Mohamed Salah. From Algeria, Manchester City star Riad Mehrez and Ahli Jeddah s Saudi star Youssef al-Bailili will compete against Senegal s Sadio Mane, Liverpool star, and Calido Coulibaly, Napoli s defender. The winner will be announced during the ceremony to be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 in Hurghada, in the presence of a number of prominent African legends. The list includes Cameroon s Andre Onana, Ajax player, Morocco s Hakim Ziach, Ajax player, Algeria s Ismail Ben Nacer, Milan player, Senegal s Caledo Coulibaly, Naples player, and Gabon s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal player. The CAF awards celebrate African footballers and officials who have distinguished themselves this year. The list of nominees is compiled by a panel of media and technical professionals, the CAF said. Salah won the African Player of the Year award two times in 2018 and 2017. The CAF Awards feature several categories for men s and women s football besides the African Player of the Year, such as: Coach of the Year, Youth Player of the Year, National Team of the Year, Goal of the Year, Africa Finest XI, Federation of the Year, and several new award categories which recognize exceptional contributions towards African football and inspiring individuals.

Sweden footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has fuelled speculation that he is set to return to Italy, where he has played for AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, by saying in an interview: "see you soon in Italy". The 38-year-old striker confirmed his departure from Los Angeles Galaxy last month following the club s elimination from the Major League Soccer playoffs. "I ll join a club which must get back to winning, which must renew its history and is in search of a battle against everyone and everything," Ibrahimovic told GQ Italia. "That is the only way I ll be able to find the necessary motivation to surprise you again. "It s not just about choosing a team, as there are other factors that need to line up, including in the interests of my family. "I ll see you in Italy soon." According to reports in Italy, Ibrahimovic has been offered a six-month deal to come to the aid of struggling former giants AC Milan, who are 11th in the Serie A table. Napoli are also a possible destination as last season s runners-up sit seventh, after a run of six league games without a win. "I love to make the difference," he added. "I don t just want to do one or two things well, I want to do all of it." Ibrahimovic played for two seasons between 2010 and 2012 with AC Milan, helping them to their last Serie A title, and scoring 42 goals in 61 league appearances. He also won three league titles with Inter Milan, and two with Juventus, which were both revoked following the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.

Zamalek announced early on Tuesday that it is assigning French coach Patrice Carteron to lead the team after terminating the contract of Serbian coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic by mutual consent. Carteron, who is scheduled to arrive in Cairo today, will be assisted by former club players Samy El-Sheshiny and Amir Abdel-Aziz, according to Zamalek s official website, which did not reveal further details about the Frenchman s contract with the Whites. This will be Carteron s third time in Egypt, as he led Wadi Degla in 2016 and Ahly in 2018. He will be the fourth coach to have led both Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek. Under the helm of the 49-year-old Carteron, Ahly reached the final of the Confederation of African Football Champions League, but lost against Tunisia s Esperance, which led the Reds to sack him. He managed to win the CAF Champions League with Congo s TP Mazembe in the 2014-2015 season, and won with the latest club he had led, Raja of Morocco, in the CAF Super Cup 2018-2019. After less than four months, Zamalek terminated Micho s contract on Monday, following a string of poor results including a 3-0 away defeat to TP Mazembe in the African Champions League last weekend. The 50-year-old tactician, who took charge of Zamalek in August 2019, had a brilliant debut of his tenure with a blistering 6-0 victory against Somalia s Dekedaha in the preliminary round of Africa s elite club competition. He went on to claim his first title with the club in less than a month after beating Pyramids FC in Egypt s Cup final. Zamalek s season has gone downhill since they lost the Super Cup title to Ahly 3-2. The team struggled in the league to slip to fourth after being held 1-1 by newly promoted side FC Masr and conceding a stunning 2-1 defeat by bottom side Enppi. The pressure has been mounting on the former Uganda and Rwanda coach who saw his tactics questioned by the fans and media following his numerous changes to the lineups and schemes. Micho used 27 players over the course of 13 games winning eight times, drawing once and conceding four defeats. Caretron s first challenge with Zamalek is expected to be when they host Primero Agosto of Angola on Saturday in the second group stage game of the African Champions League ahead of a busy December schedule. The Whites seem at a crossroads now as the club is also facing a financial crisis that pushed Tunisian full back Hamdi Nagguez towards the exit door as he decided to unilaterally terminate his contract over unpaid dues. Reports have revealed that other players have requested a meeting with officials to discuss the crisis. Zamalek currently lie fifth on the Egyptian Premier League table with 10 points from five matches, while champions Ahly come second with 12 points from four matches.

Zamalek s Tunisian fullback Hamdi Nagguez has terminated his contract with his team after winning a lawsuit against the management over his delayed fees, the player s lawyer Anis bin Mime announced on Monday. "Hamdi Nagguez terminated his contract with Zamalek club and he is now a free agent who has the right to join any team," Anis bin Mime announced via his twitter account early on Monday. "We also lodged a complaint to FIFA asking for the player s delayed fees from Zamalek." The Tunisian fullback lawyer confirmed that his client sent a formal letter to Zamalek asking for his delayed fees, but the Egyptian club s management ignored the player s request, so he decided to inform FIFA about his case and terminated his contract with the team. Nagguez also wrote on his Instagram account that he terminated his contract with Zamalek because the club did not pay his financial dues for over two months, thanking the team s fans and wishing his teammates good luck. The Cairo giants Zamalek signed Nagguez on a three-and-a-half-year contract durin the summer transfer window of 2018 season coming from Etoile du Sahel. After losing to TP Mazembe, Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour announced that he would not pay the players dues until the team returns to winning ways. Zamalek are suffering a poor run in the Egyptian Premier League and the African Champions League, as the team recently lost 3-0 to TP Mazembe of DR Congo away from home in the first round of the group stage after losing to struggling side Enppi 2-1 in the domestic league.

Egyptian League Champions Ahly will face archrivals Zamalek in their anticipated Cairo derby on 19 February, the Egyptian Football Association revealed on Sunday. "Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek will be played on 19 February; the final day of the league s first round at Cairo s international stadium," read a statement by the EFA. The derby was initially scheduled to be played on 19 October, but it was postponed indefinitely at the time due to security reasons. The postponement decision caused an outcry at the time by several clubs and officials, especially from Ahly, against the disruption of the competition s schedule. "The new dates of the Egyptian Premier league matches have been set with coordination with security authorities," added the EFA s statement. Ahly currently lie second at the Egyptian Premier League table with 12 points after four matches, just one point behind leaders Arab Contractors who played one match more. Zamalek lie at the 5th place with 10 points from five matches.

Premier League leaders Liverpool and champions Manchester City are heading into an intense month of fixtures with neither looking close to their best. Liverpool laboured to a 1-1 draw with Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, lacking the intensity and attacking potency that has been at the heart of their success under manager Juergen Klopp. City stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in the same competition, with no sign of the zip and verve that has characterised Pep Guardiola s team over the past two title-winning seasons. Both looked like sides who could do with a rest, a nice week in a warm-weather resort recharging their batteries, but the price of competing at the highest level -- at home and abroad -- is a gruelling December that offers no respite and plenty of potential bumps in the road. City need no reminders of the dangers that lie in wait for them in Newcastle on Saturday -- one of their four defeats last season came in a 2-1 reverse at St James Park in January. With their all-time top scorer Sergio Aguero sidelined by injury, Guardiola is banking on his only other striker, Gabriel Jesus, delivering goals and keeping fit through the coming month. He also needs his team to rediscover the slick passing game and dominance of midfield that has been their hallmark but has been sorely missing in recent weeks. Injuries are part of the process at this time of year especially and Liverpool suffered a blow with their key holding midfielder Fabinho picking up an ankle injury against Napoli. It is unclear how long the Brazilian will be sidelined for but they will probably be without him at home to Brighton on Saturday. Against Napoli, only Roberto Firmino looked in top form and that will be a concern for Klopp as he heads into a month in which his team also have to contend with two games in Qatar in the Club World Cup. To add to the workload, both teams have derby matches on the horizon with Liverpool hosting Everton on Wednesday and City taking on Manchester United on Dec. 7. It looks the ideal moment for second-placed Leicester City to take advantage and push themselves into the race. Brendan Rodgers side are a point ahead of City and eight behind Liverpool and on Sunday they face an Everton team whose manager Marco Silva will be worrying he might not even survive to Wednesday s Merseyside derby. Another manager under intense pressure is West Ham s Manuel Pellegrini who won t be looking forward to Saturday s visit to in-form fourth-placed Chelsea. Manchester United host Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side in need of a convincing performance after struggling for large parts of their 3-3 draw at Sheffield United. Jose Mourinho will look to make it three wins out of three since taking over at Tottenham Hotspur when Bournemouth visit North London on Saturday.

Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard is set to be fit for the Clasico against Liga leaders Barcelona after tests showed he had bruised but not twisted his ankle as first feared. Hazard was one of Real s top performers in Tuesday s 2-2 Champions League draw at home to Paris St Germain but hobbled off after being tackled by Belgium team mate Thomas Meunier. The 28-year-old was substituted midway through the second half and Real coach Zinedine Zidane said he was worried about the injury and thought Hazard had twisted his ankle, throwing his availability for the Dec. 18 Clasico into doubt. Real s concerns were eased by the medical report released by the club on Wednesday, which stated Hazard had a bruised right ankle although it did not say how long he would be sidelined. Newspaper Marca said the 100 million euro (£86 million) player was set to miss the trip to Alaves on Saturday but would be back for Real s following game at home to Espanyol on Dec. 8. Real are second in La Liga, level with Barca on 28 points after 13 games and visit their rivals at the Camp Nou next month after the fixture was rescheduled from Oct. 26 over security concerns following political unrest in Barcelona.

Zamalek club president Mortada Mansour has sanctioned the team s players after their embarrassing 2-1 defeat by last-placed Enppi on Monday. The game had been postponed for more than a month due to the Africa U23 Cup of Nations tournament in Cairo, which was won by the Young Pharaohs. Despite the long period which Zamalek could have invested in enhancing their strategies, they conceded the fastest goal of the season at only 23 seconds in, and failed to score during the match apart from a penalty kick. They also failed to prevent their nets from receiving Enppi s winning goal in the final minutes. "Zamalek s board provided all the possibilities for success, there are no dues for any player. There is a greedy player that wants a contract of 20 million pounds, and will not make strife," Mansour said at a press conference on Tuesday. "I have deducted 2 percent from each player for several reasons. The technical staff [also] made mistakes and will be punished after they return from Congo. "There will be no bonuses for any player until the end of the season after yesterday s farce. There will be no changes in contracts for any player," he added. Zamalek is scheduled to travel to Congo on Wednesday in preparation for their first game in the group stage of Confederation of African Football s (CAF) Champions League against TP Mazembe Premiro de Agosto on Saturday. Group A also includes Zambia s ZESCO United. Zamalek are currently fourth in the Egyptian Premier League table on 10 points.