Saad Shalaby, the executive director of Al Ahly Club, spoke about the scale of the financial burdens borne by the Red Castle, pointing to the ongoing challenge the club faces in covering its massive spending.
Saad Shalaby said in statements on "Al Nahar" channel: "One of the notions some have tried to promote over the past period is that Al Ahly Club has very huge revenues, and that revenues come from many diverse sources, and that Al Ahly is clever at how it obtains the money".
He continued: "But in reality, Al Ahly Club is clever because it knows how to confront a very, very fierce train, which is the train of expenses. Some do not focus on these matters, but I will give some examples. Al Ahly Club's operating expenses are very huge. This train of expenses has managed to destroy some clubs that had a great history in Egyptian sports, because spending exceeded revenues. This train also threatens Al Ahly Club, if the club cannot generate huge new revenues every day to confront this spending".
He added: "Al Ahly Club has 14 swimming pools, which consume, for example, 26 tons of soda, with the price of a ton ranging from 250 to 350 dollars. The handball team will hold a training camp in Bosnia, and will travel to participate in a friendly tournament in Russia, while the football team is at a camp in Spain. Does anyone know how much those camps cost?"
He went on: "Al Ahly Club owns 11 indoor halls. We have central air conditioning units; if we replace just one of them, it would cost 29 million pounds. We replaced the floor of Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Hall because of the African Championship last year, as this is one of Al Ahly's national responsibilities to host African tournaments. Although the handball championship is not profitable, the club undertakes this task to enhance the club's ability to achieve Egypt's political goals through sports".
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He continued, Saad Shalaby: "We have 6,293 employees, including workers, coaches, and administrators, who receive monthly salaries totaling 80 million pounds. Al Ahly Club does not have the financial luxury some try to portray, but it possesses a strong brand, and the football fans have an inherent right to that, because this sport is what created the strength of this brand".
He added: "We have a sports activity whose budget the board approved last season at 670 million pounds, although all revenues from this activity do not exceed 103 million pounds, meaning there is a deficit".
He pointed out: "Despite all that, I have not spoken about the maintenance of the swimming pools, nor about the four branches spanning 248 feddans. The public must realize that Al Ahly Club is performing a miracle through its situation. Legally, Al Ahly Club remains a profit-oriented institution, and the philosophy of such institutions is to try to recover the largest possible portion of costs. That is why we established companies to serve as the investment arms of the club".
He continued: "The goal behind establishing these companies was not to make a profit, but to generate financial resources that can help Al Ahly Club meet its financial obligations. There are 227,000 families entering the club daily; with an average of 4 members per family, that means one million members are using the club's services. Yet, the annual subscription fee is still not comparable to clubs like Al Gezira, Al Sayed, or the Gezira Youth Center adjacent to the club".
He concluded: "The club does not want to burden the member with greater financial loads. Therefore, we work day and night, with no time for rest, to meet the requirements. We could do like others and say that the money that comes in we spend, then enter a cycle of debt, then leave Al Ahly Club prey to late fees and accumulating interest. But Al Ahly, from its national role, even pays the state's financial dues so that it can provide services to the citizen".
