Coach Soliman to remain at Ismaili until season's end

Soliman, under pressure after a poor run of results, told Ismaili's board that he intended to depart following their Champions League round of 32 second-leg tie at Tamponnaise of Reunion Island.

Aboul-Hassan also said that he was due to make 'some changes' in the technical staff but he eventually opted to keep faith with Soliman.

"I called him after the match against Tamponnaise (which Ismaili won 3-2 on aggregate) and we did not discuss anything about his exit," Aboul-Hassan told FilGoal.com.

"He will remain at the helm until we finish our domestic and African commitments this season."

Soliman took over at Ismaili following the sacking of Serbian Nebojsa Vuckovic, under whom Ismaili lost and drew in their first two Egyptian Premier League games.

However, Ismaili, who were not helped by a string of injuries to several key players, continued to suffer from inconsistency to slip from second to fifth spot in the league table.

The Dervishes finished runners up to champions Ahli last season after a playoff but they are now 14 points behind their bitter rivals, who are expected to win a sixth consecutive league crown.