In a letter critical of Barcelona club officials, Lionel Messi said Monday he and his teammates are taking a 70% cut in salaries because of the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Messi wrote in a social media post that the players will also make donations so other club employees are not affected by the upheaval. “A lot has been said about Barcelona s first team and the players salaries during the country s state of alarm," Messi wrote in the letter. “Before anything, we would like to make it clear that we have always wanted to reduce our salaries as we perfectly understand that this is an exceptional situation and we ALWAYS were the first ones to help the club when it asked. Actually, we have done that on our own in moments when we felt it was necessary or important. “Therefore, it surprises us that within the club there were those who wanted to put us under scrutiny and tried to put us under pressure to do something that we always knew we would be doing.” Messi said it took a few days to announce the deal because “we were looking for a formula to help the club and also its workers in this very difficult moment.” The donations the players will make are expected to help cover 100% of the salaries of club employees. Earlier this year, Messi publicly complained about club officials after some criticized the players efforts amid a controversial coaching change and a run of poor results. Barcelona said all members of its professional sports teams and most of the basketball team have agreed to a pay cut. It added the club would also be contributing to the salaries of other workers. “In the case of the football first team, the reduction will be over 70% of that originally agreed with the club," Barcelona said. “This additional contribution by the team, together with the contribution that the club itself shall make, will guarantee 100% of the salaries of all non-sporting staff at the club.” The club said it wished to “express its gratitude to all of the professional athletes for their implication in such an exceptional situation that has been caused by this health crisis.” Barcelona was among the Spanish clubs that announced last week it would reduce players and coaches salaries during the stoppage. Spain has been one of the hardest-hit nations by the pandemic. The country overtook China on Monday with more than 85,000 confirmed infections. It also reported 812 new deaths, raising its overall confirmed death toll to 7,340. Barcelona said Saturday it delivered 30,000 masks to the Catalonia government to help fight the pandemic. The club said it was working through its foundation “to do as much as possible to help with this crisis, both locally and internationally.” "The club has put itself at the service of the health authorities to help to fulfill and enforce all its instructions, recommendations and orders to combat contagion of the virus and alleviate its effects as much as possible,” it said.

Italy’s sports minister said he will propose extending the ban on all competitions to the whole of April in an effort to contain the coronavirus. The death toll from the coronavirus rose past 10,000 in Italy on Saturday, a figure that made an extension of a national lockdown almost certain. “Re-starting matches ... is unrealistic. Tomorrow I will propose to extend the ban on all sports competitions, of all levels and types, to the whole of April,” Vincenzo Spadafora told daily la Repubblica in an interview. Italy’s top-flight Serie A soccer league has been suspended since March 9 and the Euro 2020 Championship was postponed for a year on March 17. Spadafora said that the suspension should be extended to all training, which has so far not been banned, amid uncertainty over when the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be held. The minister added that he would draw up a plan worth 400 million euros ($446 million) for sports associations and amateur clubs and called on Serie A to adopt “a serious willingness to change”. He did not elaborate. “After this crisis, nothing can be like before,” he said. On Saturday, Juventus players, leading the league by one point from Lazio with 12 games remaining, agreed on a wage reduction that will save the Turin-based club 90 million euros.

The Professional Footballers Association (PFA) has called for urgent talks with the Premier League and English Football League to discuss the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. With English football suspended until at least April 30, the loss of matchday revenue has hit the clubs hard, especially in the lower leagues. On Tuesday, Birmingham became the first Championship side to ask their players to take wage deferrals, while League Two s Forest Green Rovers said they will use the government s wage-support scheme to keep paying all their staff. "As with other industries, the current COVID-19 crisis is having a severe impact on the finances of the game," the PFA said in a statement https://www.thepfa.com/news/2020/3/25/pfa-calls-for-an-urgent-meeting-with-the-leagues. "Several clubs have already approached players with a view to imposing pay deferrals. "In order to deal with this situation, we have called for an urgent meeting with both the Premier League and the EFL to discuss how we might proceed going forward." Earlier this month, the EFL announced it would release a 50 million pounds ($59.15 million) short-term relief fund to assist clubs whose survival is under threat. The PFA also said it had worked closely with the Premier League, EFL and Women s Super League on training protocols to minimise the risk posed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Ahly s influential winger Ramadan Sobhi has defended the club s medical staff after being blamed of being a reason behind his long absence in recent months, insisting that resuming his European career is his priority in the coming period. The 23-year-old winger, who is on a season-long loan at his boyhood club from English side Huddersfield Town, has been out of action since injuring a hamstring muscle in December. After three months of being sidelined due to injury, Sobhi has rejoined the Reds trainings on 15 March but unfortunately he couldn t appear in the pitch after the sudden suspension of all sports activities in Egypt due to over the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. "The long absence was due to several reasons as I did a huge effort in the U-23 African Cup of Nations last year and then I resumed matches with Ahly without a sufficient rest," Sobhi said in an interview with Ontime Sports TV channel on Tuesday. "The coach told me that he is obliged to depend on me after the league s resumption following the nations Cup end and I already played many successive matches," he added. The return date of Sobhi to the club s trainings changed more than one time as the player didn t recover on time. "The injury was a sever one. It was a muscular tear not just a strain like what was reported. The medical staff diagnosed the injury perfectly and the doctor told me at the time that I will be sidelined for eight weeks, but the absence lasted more as I felt more pains," the Pharaohs player Sobhi explained. " I preferred not to risk myself until full recovery but sadly the league was suspended," he added. Next step Sobhi has been a revelation in the early stages of the season, scoring five goals in nine appearances as Ahly made an explosive start to the defence of their Egyptian Premier League title. Doubts raised over Sobhi s future with the Cairo giants after ending the loan spell especially after his injury, but despite of his desire to resume his European career, he left the door open for extending his stay with Ahly. "I want to stay with Ahly, but resuming my European career is my priority. Playing and shining in Europe is my dream," he said. "My loan spell will end on 31st June, but it may be extended to continue both the domestic league and the African Champions League with the team," he concluded. Holders Ahly are at the top of the league table with 49 points, 16 points ahead of second-place Arab Contractors.

Britain is set to follow Australia and Canada in refusing to send a team to the Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic, the head of the British Olympic Association said on Tuesday. Hugh Robertson said that with athletes unable to train together and fears the spread of the coronavirus will worsen in the coming weeks in Britain there was little chance of sending a team to Japan for the Games that are scheduled to start on July 24. The BOA, the British Paralympic Association and funding body UK Sport are to hold a conference call later in the day with bosses from the summer Olympic and Paralympic sports where it is expected they will rubberstamp a call to delay the Games. "I think it is very simple," said Robertson. "If the virus continues as predicted by the Government, I don t think there is any way we can send a team." Robertson is an expert in preparing a city for a Games having been Olympics Minister for the 2012 London Games. He said the reasoning for postponing the Games was both practical and based on sensibilities. "Firstly, I don t see any way that the athletes and Team GB could be ready by then. "Elite training facilities are perfectly understandably and quite correctly closed around the country, so there is no way they could undertake the preparation they need to get ready for a Games. "Second, there is the appropriateness of holding an Olympic Games at a time like this. "We can t see any way that this can go ahead as things are constituted at the moment and I expect we will be joining Canada and Australia shortly." Britain went into lockdown late Monday with Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordering a three-week shutdown of "non-essential" shops and services and banning gatherings of more than two people.

Zamalek coach Patrice Carteron announced Sunday that he refused an attractive offer from a Japanese club despite his deal with Whites set to expire in June, confirming he is looking forward to achieve further trophies in Egypt. The Cairo giants appointed French coach Patrice Carteron to lead the team after terminating the contract of Serbian coach Milutin Micho Sredojevic by mutual consent last December. "I received a big offer from one of the Japanese clubs but I refused it," Carteron told reporters. "Despite my contract with Zamalek expiring at the end of the current season, I refused the offer," the Zamalek coach said. "The Japanese offer was very financially attractive, and for two seasons,” he added. "I refused the offer because I can t leave Zamalek during the current situation, as the team is preparing for the CAF Champions League semifinals," Carteron said. The 49-year-old tactician helped Zamalek to snatch the African Super Cup and Egyptian Super Cup titles as well as reach the African Champions League semifinals. "The offer is very big, but money is not everything," the Zamalek coach added.

Long-serving captain Hossam Ashour will either leave Ahly or hang up his boots after the Cairo giants told him on Friday that he did not feature in their plans for next season. Ahly said in a statement that the veteran 34-year-old, a midfield linchpin for nearly two decades and the player who won most titles in the club s history, was informed that Swiss coach Rene Weiler does not intend to rely on him. Ashour, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, thought Friday s meeting with club officials was to hold talks over extending his deal. "I was surprised that they told me Weiler no longer needs me," the one-club man, who made over 500 appearances with Ahly, told Egyptian football website FilGoal. "The club asked me to retire or to look for another offer." Ashour, best known for closing down spaces and robbing opponents with his acclaimed defensive abilities, was one of Ahly s key players during a glorious era that saw the club dominate domestic and African titles from 2005 to 2013. He came through the club s youth ranks in 2003 and went on to help them to 12 Egyptian Premier titles, three Egyptian Cups and five African Champions League trophies among other minor accolades. "I m shocked by how they dealt with me, I never saw that coming, especially after my long career with Ahly," Ashour added. "I do not deserve that and I m not convinced by what they are saying." Ahly also said they respect the decision of another long-serving member, goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy, to leave the club at the end of the season in search of regular first-team football, describing him as one of the team s most committed and disciplined footballers. Last month, the 36-year-old announced that he would not renew his deal amid reports linking him with a move to Pyramids FC.

The Egyptian Football Association’s (EFA) appeal committee decided on Thursday to reduce the sanctions imposed on Ahly winger Mahmoud “Kahraba” Abdel-Moneim and his Zamalek counterpart Emam Ashour, after hearing their appeals. The two players were suspended by the EFA until the end of this season after their behaviour during the Egyptian Super Cup in the UAE last month, but the appeals committee reduced the sanctions for both to ten-match bans. Players from both sides clashed on the pitch after the Egyptian Super Cup game, which Zamalek won 4-3 on penalties. The appeals committee also accepted the appeal of Zamalek’s administrative director Ahmed Zaher and reduced his season suspension to ten matches. By contrast, the committee rejected the appeal of Zamalek winger Mahmoud “Shikabala” Abdel-Razek, who had been hit with an eight-game suspension.

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who became the first Premier League player to test positive for the coronavirus, is making “great progress” in his recovery, manager Frank Lampard said. The 19-year-old’s positive test last week had prompted the London club to partially close their Cobham training centre, with the first-team squad and coaching staff asked to self-isolate as a precaution. "I m happy to say that in Callum s case, he has made great progress and almost feels his usual self, which is obviously the news we all want to hear," Lampard told the club s website here “I’m aware that not everyone can or will recover from this virus, so I urge the football and sporting community to continue to act responsibly and look out for the health of others.” Chelsea said their training facility had been reopened for those who did not have recent close contact with Hudson-Odoi. The league has been suspended until April 4 because of the outbreak that has virtually shut down world sport. Globally, the flu-like virus has infected over 190,000 people and killed more than 7,500. “We still don’t know when competitive football will restart, but it isn’t worth worrying about that too much at the moment,” Lampard added. “We all miss football but right now it’s about acting responsibly and in the best interests of society.”

The 2020 European Championship has been postponed for a year as the world fights to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Norwegian FA tweeted on Tuesday. UEFA, who is yet to confirm the decision, has proposed that the June 12-July 12 tournament to be held in 12 countries be put back to June 11-July 11 next year to give the suspended domestic leagues time to be completed. The proposal was agreed during a video conference with all 55 of its affiliated national football federations and representatives of clubs, leagues and players. The decision will go before UEFA s Executive Committee for final sign-off later on Tuesday.

Egyptian Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi announced on Sunday that the two-week suspension of football matches in all divisions in an effort to contain the coronavirus does not mean that all tournaments will be cancelled. Sobhi also revealed via a radio sports programme that there is no guarantee that the Egyptian Premier League would resume after two weeks. "We have decided to suspend football activities since we do not wait until the crisis happens to react," the sports minister said. "We are not promising that activities will resume after two weeks, as we have to evaluate the situation first according to the medical advice," Sobhi added. The minister said that the confirmed coronavirus cases in Egypt are currently lower than other countries in the world, "but we have moved quickly to contain the outbreak." Football matches have been suspended in all divisions for two weeks as Egypt tries to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on Saturday. Countries with major football leagues, including Britain, Italy and Spain, have also suspended football matches until early April. "There are countries that have suspended activities indefinitely, but the suspension of activity for Egypt does not mean cancelation," the sports minister said. "More than anything else, our priority is the good health of the Egyptian people," Sobhi said. Since its outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has infected nearly 170,000 people globally and killed more than 5,900. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Egypt has reached 110. The Egyptian government has been taking a number of preventive measures in an effort to limit the spread of the virus, deciding on Saturday to close schools and universities for two weeks, starting Sunday 15 March. Egypt has raised the alert level in hospitals, airports, and land ports, and has suspended flights to many countries that have reported major outbreaks.

Football matches were suspended in all divisions for two weeks as Egypt tries to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus, the country s football association (EFA) said on Saturday. "As per instructions from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Youth and Sports, and after reviewing the recommendations of the Medical Committee of the Egyptian Football Association, the Egyptian Football Association decided to suspend football games for 15 days starting Monday," the EFA said in a statement. "The decision applies to all divisions of local competitions." The EFA s decision came a few hours after the sports ministry said there was no need to suspend sports activities for the time being. Major football countries, including Britain, Italy and Spain, have recently suspended football matches until early April. Since its outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, coronavirus (COVID-19) has infected more than 145,000 people globally and killed more than 5,500. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Egypt has reached 109. The Egyptian government has been taking a number of preventive measures in an effort to limit the spread of the virus, deciding on Saturday to close schools and universities for two weeks, starting Sunday 15 March. Egypt has raised the alert level in hospitals, airports, and land ports, and has suspended flights to many countries that have reported major outbreaks.

After the 1-1 draw with Smouha and stopping the Red Devils winning run in the Egyptian Premier League on Wednesday, Ahly s coach René Weiler said the team s performance was poor during the game due to the players fatigue and the matches sequence in the domestic and continental tournaments. Ahy claimed 16 consecutive wins this season and were close to achieving the club s previous record of 2005 with 17 wins in a row, but they failed after dropping the first two points this season. "We played today s game amid harsh circumstances. We are tired and our key players are absent. Moreover, we had returned from a game (against Sundowns in South Africa) that caused a pressure on the team," Weiler told the press conference following the game. "I am not providing justifications, but Ahly players were out of luck during the game. "We are concentrating on the coming games to return to winning ways," the Ahly coach added. The Egyptian Premier League title holders, Ahly, are at the top of the league table with 49 points, 16 points ahead of second-place Arab Contractors.

After securing their place in the CAF Champions League semis earlier this week, Ahly will turn their attention back to the domestic league on Wednesday when they face Smouha at El-Salam stadium in pursuit of a club record. The defending champions, who have claimed 16 successive wins, are leading the league table with a maximum 48 points, 15 ahead of second-placed Arab Contactors, and are close to winning their fifth league title in a row. While the league title seems in bag, Ahly will be looking to equal the club record of 17 consecutive victories that they set in the 2004/05 season under iconic Portuguese boss Manuel Jose. The mission will not be difficult for the Red Devils given the shaky performance of their rivals Smouha, who lie seventh in the league table with 24 points. Coach Rene Weiler has announced his 18-man list for Wednesday s clash, although several big names were absent. The suspended trio Mahmoud “Kahraba” Abdel-Moneim, Junior Ajayi and Yasser Ibrahim will miss the game. The former was suspended until the end of this season due to his behaviour during the Egyptian Super Cup last month. Ajayi and Ibrahim are both serving a two-match ban for the same reason. On-form Tunisian fullback Ali Maaloul and lively Angolan winger Geraldo will also miss the game due to muscle injuries. Youth midfielder El-Arabi Badr and fullback Mahmoud Wahid both made the list after weeks on the sidelines. On the other hand, Smouha are looking for a positive result against Ahly to improve their position in the league table. Coach Hamada Sedki has said the game will not be easy, but he hopes that his team is ready for the clash and can claim a positive result against an exhausted Ahly.

Ahly s African Champions League quarterfinal hero Ali Maaloul said the African Champions League semifinal game against Morocco s Wydad Athletic will be difficult for both teams, revealing that the domestic league has not been settled yet. Ahly have qualified to the semifinal of the Confederation of African Football Champions League semifinals after defeating South Africa s Mamelodi Sundowns 3-1 in aggregate. The Reds full back Maaloul, who scored two goals in the first leg match and helped in scoring the third goal, revealed that since announcing that Ahly will face Sundowns all the players promised to take their revenge. Ahly lost in the previous edition from the South African side 5-0 in the first leg while the Cairo giants won at home 1-0. "The team insisted we do our best and make amends for last season s defeat as we promised the fans," the 30-year-old Tunisian told Ahly s official website. "Ahly s solid character and the team s spirit appeared strongly against Sundowns, which was one of the main factors that helped in dominating at home and away. "Sundowns is one of the top teams in Africa, as they played great games during the tournament, in addition to having the same coach for many years which reflects the stability of the team. Despite this, Ahly s character shines in such difficult situations," he added. The Moroccan side Wydad Athletic have qualified to the semis after defeating Tunisia s Sportive Etoile du Sahel 2-1 in aggregate, to host Ahly 1 May, and will travel to Cairo to face Ahly in the away game on 8 May. Both teams have faced each other eight times in the last decade. They tied in four matches, and each won two games. The last match between them was in 2017 when Casablanca giants defeated Ahly in the final 2-1 in aggregate. "Ahly have the suitable time to prepare for Wydad s game, which will be very tough for both sides," he explained. Maaloul said also Egyptian Premier League title has not been settled yet, despite Ahly leading the table with 48 points away from the second place Arab Contractors with 16 points. "We have various targets in the current season; the most important is to win the domestic league without losing any game and achieve a new record to be written in history in the name of this generation," said Maaloul. Maaloul concluded his words promising Ahly fans that all the players are determined to clinch titles this season, especially that of the African Champions League.

Cairo International Stadium is set to host the CAF Champions League semi final matches of Egyptian giants Ahly and Zamalek, Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi revealed on Sunday. Ahly and archrivals Zamalek reached the semi final of the prestigious continental tournament after passing South Africa s Mamelodi Sundowns and Tunisia s Esperance respectively in the quarters a few days ago. The 74,100-capacity stadium already hosted both confrontations of Ahly and Zamalek of the quarters amid the presence of 30,000 supporters for each team, but it is set to be closed next month for some renovations. "The ministry is currently in negotiations with the English company responsible for stadium renovations to postpone re-laying the summer grass until playing the Ahly and Zamalek matches in the Champions league semis," Minister Sobhi told On Time sport TV channel on Sunday night. The record eight-time African Champions Ahly will be facing Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the semis, while Zamalek, who reached the final in 2016 before losing to South Africa s Mamelodi Sundowns, will meet Moroccan side Raja. "It is a great pleasure to see Cairo s stadium hosting big tournaments. We will do our best to end the negotiations successfully through this week especially amid the concrete cooperation from the English company," the minister added. The first leg matches of the Champions League semi final are due to be played on 1 or 2 May in Morocco, while the return matches will be played on 8 or 9 May in Egypt.

Egyptian giants Ahly got a taste of revenge as they held Mamelodi Sundowns to a 1-1 draw in Pretoria on Saturday to reach the semi-finals of the African Champions League on a 3-1 aggregate win. The record eight-time African Champions managed to eliminate the team that humiliated them last year in the same round with a historic 5-0 win, Ahly s worst ever African defeat, in Pretoria. Lebohang Maboe scored in his own net in the 21st minute before Uruguayan forward Gaston Sirino gave Sundowns a glimmer of hope in the 26th minute, but that wasn t enough for them to get anything out of the tie. Ahly will now face the winner of Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia, who play later on Saturday. Wydad hold a 2-0 first leg advantage. Coach Rene Weiler adopted a more cautious approach as he opted for a 4-3-3 formation instead of his usual 4-2-3-1 scheme, with Mahmoud Metwalli playing as a deep holding midfielder in front of his defence. The South Africans could have gone ahead as early as the fourth minute when Sirino played a quick free kick to the unmarked Nascimento in the area but Ahly s keeper Mohamed El Shennawy rushed out of his goal to deny a clear chance. After this early threat, the Red Devils gained control of the game with Geraldo, Ali Maaloul and Badji making some attempts on target. They finally got what they deserved in the 21st minute when a free kick from the right side was deflected by Maboe into his own net. However, Ahly could only defend their lead for five minutes as Nascimento sent a long pass to Zwane, who evaded his markers, only to be denied by El Shennawi from inside the box but the rebound fell to Sirino, who made no mistake in front of an empty net. Sundowns mounted their pressure and Shennawy once again came to the rescue to deny Vilakaze s header from inside the box. Ahly could have ended this half upfront as Amr El Sulaya dispossessed Madisha and went clear on target to set up Aliou Badji in the box but he was too sluggish and his attempt was foiled. Coach Pisto Mosimane made two quick substitutions to increase his firepower as he brought in Tebego Langerman and Phakamani Mahlambi after the interval. However, Ahly s compact defence contained Sundowns forwards, who had to resort to long range shots that were no trouble for keeper El Shennawy. As they pressed forward, the South Africans left acres of spaces at the back and second half substitutes Hussein El Shahat and Mohamed Hani had a couple of chances to claim a late winner but they lacked imagination in the final third to end the game in a draw.

Tunisian authorities will release the tickets of Friday s African Champions League clash between Zamalek and Esperance on Thursday after a brief delay, the hosts said. The tickets will be released with a probability of decreasing the number of fans attending the game owing to fears over the spread of coronavirus, especially after Tunisia declared that there are infected cases, according to local media reports. Tunisian media stated that the Ministry of Health advised against playing the game in the presence of fans during a scientific conference held on Wednesday. Zamalek travelled to Tunisia ahead of their game against Esperance in the second-leg match of the African Champions League quarterfinal. The Whites won the first-leg match at home 3-1 last Friday. Esperance, who won the latest two editions of the African Champions League, were defeated twice by Zamalek in the last three weeks with the same result, 3-1. The first game was the African Super Cup, which took place in Qatar last month.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced Wednesday that a specialised committee will examine appeals filed by Ahly and Zamalek against penalties imposed on the teams following the controversial Egyptian Super Cup played in the UAE. EFA sanctioned the Cairo giants with fines and banned some players unsportsman-like behaviour after the Super Cup game 20 February. "Zamalek have appealed to EFA against the penalties imposed on some of their players and officials because of the incidents that happened after the Super Cup game, as did Ahly," read a statement on EFA s official Facebook page. EFA revealed that both teams filed appeals after viewing video material of the events. "The appeals are to be submitted to the EFA Appeals Committee at a meeting whose date has not yet been determined, and the two clubs paid the appeals fees," EFA s statement concluded. According to the sanctions announced by EFA, Ahly players Mahmoud Kahraba, Zamalek’s Emam Ashour and official Ahmed Zaher have all been suspended until the end of the ongoing season with a fine of EGP100,000 each. Zamalek winger Shikabala was suspended for eight games with a fine of EGP100,000. Zamalek player Abdalla Gomaa was suspended for three games with a fine of EGP50,000. Ahly players Yasser Ibrahim and Junior Ajayi were suspended for two games with a fine of EGP 50,000 each. Ahly and Zamalek clubs were separately fined EGP100,000 each.

Ahly medical staff said Monday that Nigerian winger Junior Ajayi, Tunisian left-back Ali Maaloul and veteran right-back Ahmed Fathi are fit for the game against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday. The trio of key players acquired minor injuries after Ahly’s comfortable 2-0 first-leg win against the Sundowns in the African Champions League quarterfinal on Saturday. Ahly crew arrived in South Africa on Monday as part of preparations for the second leg game, and the medical staff confirmed the availability of the trio for the clash. "Ajayi is fit for the game against the Mamelodi Sundowns after he suffered from a muscle problem as he trained in the gym before traveling to South Africa," Ahly s medical staff said in a statement on the club s website. "The team s doctor has implemented a special medical programme to prepare Ali Maaloul for the game after the latter suffered from a minor muscle problem," the statement added. "Maaloul will undergo a rehab programme ahead of the game. "Ahmed Fathi will undergo medical tests during trainings in South Africa after sustaining a minor knock during the first leg game,” the statement added. The Sundowns will host Ahly in the second leg of the quarterfinals at Pretoria on Saturday.