Khaberni - In what the Egyptian football fans described as «the strangest transfer deal» between Al Ahly and Zamalek, the fans of the two clubs discussed the news of the Zamalek club mosque imam and preacher taking on the roles of imam and preacher at the Al Ahly club mosque, with great interest and significant controversy on social media platforms.
Local media outlets have reported the transfer of the preacher from Zamalek club mosque in Mit Oqba area in Giza to the Al Ahly club mosque in its new branch in Sheikh Zayed City, which is also part of Giza governorate. Despite the limited significance of the news, it has stirred significant interaction and interest among football fans, who found in it a new arena for competition between the traditional rivals, although it's outside «the green rectangle».
With the buzz the news created, the imam and preacher, Mohammed Atta, came forward to explain «the details of the transfer» from «white» to «red»; he clarified that it was purely an administrative matter, saying he had worked at the Zamalek club mosque for nearly 7 years, by virtue of its affiliation with the North Giza Endowments Administration, which also oversees the Zamalek club mosque. He indicated that with the relocation of his residence to Sheikh Zayed City, he submitted a request to transfer his work to a mosque within his new residential area, which was accepted, and he was assigned to work at the Al Ahly club branch in Sheikh Zayed as it was closer to him.
The imam confirmed that he belongs to one entity, the Egyptian Ministry of Endowments, and he has no involvement in the conflicts and affiliations between one club and another.
However, this explanation did not prevent the Egyptian fans from turning the event into a subject for jokes between the fans of the two clubs, derived from the fact that the competition between Al Ahly and Zamalek is not limited to championships, but extends to attracting distinguished players in their ranks to wear the rival’s shirt, which makes the transfer of a player between the clubs a sensitive issue, and sometimes considered «betrayal», according to some fans' perceptions.
In recent years, transfers from Zamalek to Al Ahly have stirred controversy, such as the transfers of Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim (Kahraba), Imam Ashour, Ashraf Ben Sharqi, and most recently Ahmed Mustafa (Zizo).
These are the transfers that were again circulated by «Ahlawy » tweeters, adding to them the mosque imam's transfer deal, accompanied by a sarcastic comment: «Now we've taken from them both Imam Al Masjid (the mosque imam) and Imam Ashour».
While some considered the imam's move to the Al Ahly mosque as «the real deal of the century», some comments expressed solidarity; some fans announced their support for the new imam by praying behind him in his first Friday sermon at Al Ahly club, while others appreciated the timing of announcing the deal before the month of Ramadan. And the artist Amro Wahba, with «Zamalekawy» affiliation, commented sarcastically: «They took from us this world and the hereafter».
On the other hand, «Zamalekawia» consider that Al Ahly did not content with «snatching» players, so it began to attract imams «in a free transfer deal».
Others linked the name of Al Ahly club president Mahmoud El-Khatib with the announced deal, through a comment circulated by «white» supporters, which read: «Return the preacher, O preacher».
Some fans mentioned that Al Ahly «snatched» the rival club's mosque imam to cover up the deal of the Palestinian player Hamid Hamdan, who moved to Pyramids FC, despite Al Ahly's desire to sign him.
Other fans commented that after the imam took on the preaching and imam roles for the two largest clubs in Egypt, he became qualified to lead the Egyptian national team.
Although the event had a comedic tone, some saw it as reflecting the state of sports polarization in Egypt, where football affiliations transcend the boundaries of the fields.
