LIVE: Al Ahly v Al-Faisaly | Arab Championship 2017 | Egypt
Match K.O. 21:00 Cairo Local Time
Venue: El Salam Stadium | Cairo
Egypt’s top clubs Al Ahly and Zamalek will have a chance to test newcomers and give some playing minutes to forgotten players as the revamped Arab Championship kicks off in Egypt tonight.
The Arab Championship, which was formerly called the Arab Champions League, springs back to life following a four-year hiatus, with Ahly facing Jordan’s Al-Faisaly at Cairo’s El-Salam Stadium on Saturday and Zamalek taking on Morocco’s FUS Rabat in Alexandria on Sunday.
Cairo and Alexandria will host the Arab Championship from 22 July to 6 August.
The winners of each of the three groups will advance to the semis along with the best second-placed side.
The tournament was last held in 2013 when Algeria’s USM Alger clinched the title.
The lucrative financial rewards include a $2.5 million for the winner, equalling those offered by the Confederation of African football (CAF) for its flagship Champions League competition.
The Arab tournament was held over the course of the season from 2003-04 to 2008-09 and named the Arab Champions League as the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) sought to emulate the prestigious European Champions League.
Ahly were crowned champions in 1996 when they defeated Morocco’s Raja Casablanca 3-1 in Cairo while Zamalek claimed their maiden title in 2003 at the expense of Kuwait club, also at home.
LIVE: Al Ahly v Al-Faisaly | Arab Clubs Championship 2017 | Egypt
Match K.O. 21:00 Cairo Local Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR00R5p4sVg
