The Egypt full-back, who was left on the bench for the whole 90 minutes in last week’s Cairo derby with Zamalek, returned to the starting line-up against Smouha but was taken off at half time.

Ahli said on their website that the 32-year-old will have to explain to football director Sayed Moawad his early departure.

“Sayed is known for being a well-disciplined player, but the reasons for his early exit must be known,” Abdul-Hafiz said.

During the previous two matches, Ahli boss Manuel Jose chose to rely on the right-footed Ahmed Fathi to fill in the left flank when Moawad is not there.

Alternatives

Meanwhile, Ahli assistant coach Pedro explained why star defender Fathi has been playing out of his position at the expense of Egypt’s first-choice left-back Moawad.

“We have been training Fathi to play as a left back for a while in order to create alternatives,” the Portuguese said after the Smouha game.

“We have two reasons for that, first he can cross powerfully with his right foot and he can also shoot from range.”