It is reported Al Ahly could be slapped with a major fine despite an apology having been made by the club recently.
On Tuesday night, the Red Devils announced its apology for failing to participate in this season's Professional Clubs League Cup Championship, a, according to Egyptian news outlet Yallakora.
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Amer Hussein, a member of the board of directors of the Egyptian Football Association, had previously announced that the tournament would be held over a 45-day period.
This time frame coincides with the build-up to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast and the tournament itself, an event that the bulk of the Al Ahly squad will be participating in from 13 January to 11 February 2024.
In the apology statement, the club explained that the hectic scheduling of their matches in recent months had already caused many of their players to suffer physical and mental fatigue, while injuries have unsurprisingly been a major consequence too.
The reigning CAF Champions League winners added that they even looked to enlist the help of some their youth players to represent them in the League Cup but even that hit a dead end due to their youth teams' involvement in various competitions in addition to the youngsters' own injury issues.
Despite the apology, however, the same abovementioned publication reports that the Club of the Century could now be set for a major fine of 1 million Egyptian pounds about (R591 000), stating that "according to Article 59 of the Competition Regulations and the rules and conditions of the League Cup 2023-2024: If a club declines to participate in the League Cup competition before the draw for the tournament is held, an amount of one million Egyptian pounds will be deducted, which is the value of the club's participation in the General League Championship (Nile League)".
Marcel Koller's charges, who are currently in Saudi Arabia, have played almost 20 games already this season, and are said to have also travelled a gruelling distance of approximately 20 558 miles for matches in Egypt and on the continent.
This has taken a toll on the team and the manager has already complained several times about the frequency and scheduling of matches.
Al Ahly have competed in several competitions in this campaign, including the CAF Super Cup, Champions League, Egyptian Premier League, African Football League, and now the FIFA Club World Cup.
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The team will face Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds for a bronze medal in that tournament on Friday afternoon.
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