Egyptian League Live: Al Masry SC v El Hodood | 22-09-2019

The Egyptian Premier League kicked off yesterday with plenty of promises as the interim leaders of the Football Association (EFA) vow to organize a trouble-free competition after a disastrous last season.

The EFA is temporarily run by a three-man committee after former chief Hany Abo Rida and his entire board of directors stepped down following Egypt’s embarrassing last 16 exit at the African Cup of Nations on home soil in July.

The new chairman, Amr El-Ganainy, insisted that rules “will apply to everyone” as his predecessor was criticized for being lenient with high-profile clubs, including Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek.

Abo Rida also came under fire for too many disruptions to the premier domestic competition, which was played over the course of a whole year last season due to matches being frequently postponed.

The repeated delays, which were mainly down to the continental commitments of the likes of Ahly and Zamalek as well as Egypt’s national team duties, had clubs fuming over not being able to have adequate time to rest between seasons.

The EFA’s interim board got off to a promising start when, in an unusual move in Egyptian football, it revealed the full fixtures of the first half of the season, vowing not to make any exceptional alterations to the schedule.

El-Ganainy also addressed the concerns of most clubs over refereeing by vowing to introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the second half of the season.