Souleymane Coulibaly spreads lies about Egypt & Al Ahly

AWOL striker Souleymane Coulibaly alleged that ill-treatment he received from his Ahly teammates and management was the reason behind his sudden departure, claiming that he was being ‘treated like a slave’.

In a lengthy post on his personal Twitter account, Coulibaly cited numerous reasons he claimed were behind his decision to leave Ahly without the management’s consent, including ‘his teammates refusal to pass the ball’ among others.

“I’m not crazy I left for a reason. I’m very sorry but I could not stay in that team anymore,” the 22-year-old Ivorian posted.

“My passport was held hostage. I was forced to do what I was told for example bow down and pray every time I scored.

“I did not feel comfortable in the team and (the) environment. I have tried my hardest for five months but I’ve reached my limit.

“The team wasn’t welcoming; they never passed the ball so I have to fight and struggle to get a hold of the ball in order to score.

“The coach forced me to play how he wanted me to play… If I didn’t obey the orders I get taken to the office and yelled at.

“My wife and kids are traumatized, my family are Christian and they didn’t feel comfortable practicing their religion in the country.

“I’ve been playing and working hard since I’ve started without the right to a break. I left without saying because I had to flee the first chance I had a hold of my passport.”

Taher refutes Coulibaly’s claims

Meanwhile, Ahly chairman Mahmoud Taher was quick to issue a statement refuting Coulibaly’s claims, asserting that the player resorted to such tactics only after learning that the club had complained him to FIFA.

“Ahly totally rejects Coulibaly’s allegations. These are all faulty accusations which never happened,” Taher said in a press conference.

“Neither there was persecution from his teammates nor the team’s management. These are all lies.

“He never revealed personally to me similar problems he was facing during his time at the club despite my numerous meetings with him.

“He only resorted to such tactics after learning that Ahly were complaining him to FIFA to preserve their rights.”

More than a week ago, Ahly were stunned to find out that Coulibaly, who joined from Scottish side Kilmarnock in January, was not available in training after returning from Garoua following their 2-0 Champions League win over Cotonsport.

Football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz later revealed that the Ivorian striker has sent him a message saying that he had to fly to London citing ‘emergency family reasons’, while stressing the latter would be heavily sanctioned.

Coulibaly’s representative announced the following day that his client did not travel to England to negotiate a move to a new club as was rumored, asserting that the player – who is on a three-and-a-half year deal with Ahly – fully respects his contract.

But with the Coulibaly’s absence continuing, Ahly decided to lodge a complaint with FIFA to preserve their rights, as revealed by their president Taher earlier on Sunday.

The Ahly decision came after Coulibaly’s representative had revealed that the player wants to rescind his contract with the Cairo club by mutual consent – which the club totally refused.