Mohamed El-Shennawy, goalkeeper and captain of the Al-Ahly football team, refused to exaggerate the expected public pressure to support Moroccan Raja before facing the two teams tomorrow, in the African Champions League, explaining that the match in the end will witness the participation of 11 players against 11 players.
El-Shennawy showed a lot of strength and restraint in his speech during the press conference that took place today, Thursday, in response to a question by Moroccan journalists, saying: I do not know the secret of tension and nervousness on the part of some Moroccan media professionals and the continuous talk on their part about public pressure or the strength of the fans of Raja in resolving the meeting. Expected tomorrow: And I follow: “It is clear that you are fanatical and I don’t know why, the matter is easy and simple.”
Al-Ahly’s leader continued: We are in a brotherly country, and we found the best reception with the officials of Raja, and the Moroccan people are wonderful and hospitable by nature, so why do you talk about other matters that call for fanaticism and football strife, even though the Al-Ahly mission has seen nothing of Moroccans except “all the best” since its arrival yesterday noon The first, Tuesday, for tomorrow’s match.
Al-Shennawy said: The fans of Raja have the right to encourage their team in the stands, but on the field we will be 11 players against 11 players, and the audience will not go to the field because we are in a big country with strong security and it does not allow this, so we are ready for the match and its honorable competition as it is between two big teams.
Al-Ahly’s goalkeeper and leader confirmed that his team players know the strength of tomorrow’s match and have prepared well for it during the last period, and we are determined to return to Cairo with a visa for the semi-finals of the African Champions League.
Al-Ahly will play with Raja at 12:00 midnight tomorrow, Friday, in the second leg of the African Champions League quarter-final, while the first leg in Cairo ended last Saturday with Al-Ahly’s victory with two goals to one.