Walid Salah El-Din, the former football director of Al-Ahly Club, revealed several important files regarding the contract renewals of the trio Imam Ashour, Mostafa Shobeir, and Marwan Atia, alongside behind-the-scenes details of the internal reform plan.
During statements made on "On Sport" channel, Walid Salah El-Din discussed the behind-the-scenes aspects of the plan to renew the contracts of Al-Ahly players, under the leadership of both Al-Ahly's Vice President, Yassin Mansour, and board member, Sayed Abdel Hafeez.
Walid Salah El-Din said: "Al-Ahly's management had a consensus on implementing a plan to reform the locker room situation, but there was disagreement regarding the timing of its execution; ultimately, everything took place at the end of the season."
He added: "The mistake from the beginning occurred due to significantly raising the ceiling for contracts, which subsequently created a disparity in the salary scale, especially after the arrival of prominent names such as Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Mahmoud Trezeguet with high figures."
Walid Salah El-Din continued: "The situation, under the leadership of Yassin Mansour and Sayed Abdel Hafeez, witnessed a remarkable improvement following the implementation of a comprehensive reform plan for the circumstances."
He further stated: "Although the team started last season by winning the Egyptian Super Cup, an internal agreement was later reached on the necessity of carrying out radical reforms, with the matter hinging on the timing of implementation.
He elaborated: "There were players in the team who did not participate significantly in matches, such as Aliou Dieng and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, and it was decided that they would depart at the end of last season.
He noted that: "The fundamental pillars of Al-Ahly, such as Imam Ashour and Mostafa Shobeir, have been agreed upon since last season to have their contracts adjusted and extended in order to maintain the team's stability."
He indicated: "Al-Ahly is working to rectify internal mistakes quickly and continuously, but we preferred to wait until the end of last season to make decisions correctly."
He concluded his statements by saying: "Marwan Atia was playing regularly with both Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team, whereas the midfield duo, Aliou Dieng and Ben Romdhane, were not participating regularly; therefore, it was decided to extend Marwan's contract while opening the door for the departure of the two of them."
