This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 24th, 2020, Egypt's Sports Minister, Ashraf Sobhi, made a significant announcement regarding the country's football league. Despite the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, which has seen over 58,000 confirmed cases in the country, Sobhi stated that the Egyptian Premier League would resume on July 25th.
The decision to resume the league comes as a surprise to many, given the increasing number of cases in the country. However, the Egyptian Council of Ministers' spokesperson, Nader Saad, has confirmed that the decision is final and will not be revisited.
Speaking to Sada El-Balad TV channel, Saad emphasized that the decision to resume the league was made by the State and is not open to discussion. He quoted the Prime Minister as saying, "The Prime minister was very clear this morning when he talked about continuing all sports tournaments."
However, not all clubs are in agreement with the decision. Many, including Zamalek, Ismaily, Al Masry, and Wadi Degla, have publicly denounced the decision to resume the league. On the other hand, clubs like Al Ahly and FC Masr believe that resuming the league could be beneficial.
Just one day prior to the announcement, the Egyptian Handball Federation (EHF) had announced the cancellation of the league following a formal vote between all 18 clubs.
Additional reporting by King Fut.
