Mamdouh Eid: Strong foundations can lead Pyramids FC to top of Egyptian football

Cairo’s main international airport is still busy at midnight, but there seems to be a distraction. Airport staff – and there’s no shortage of people offering their services – look at phones or gather close to radios. Al Ahly, Egypt’s most successful club, are playing in the African Champions League final against Esperance of Tunisia in the first leg.

Football is huge in Egypt, the interest evident even in the airport. After a 0-0 first leg, Al Ahly will prevail in the second in front of 80,000 a week later in Cairo to become champions of Africa.

The day after The National arrives in the world’s sixth biggest city of 22 million, Zamalek, another huge Cairo club, will win the secondary CAF Confederation Cup final against Moroccan side RSB Berkane, again in front of a sell out 80,000 crowd in Cairo’s international stadium.

The Zamalek v Al Ahly rivalry is legendary. They are – by a distance – the most popular teams in the country of 111 million, a number which has doubled since 1990. Al Ahly have been the country’s champions 15 times so far this century and 39 times overall. They have also been African champions 10 times since the turn of the century, a dominance which puts even Real Madrid’s continental achievements in Europe in the shade.

Zamalek have been less successful but trophies are still the norm: six domestic titles since 2000 and five pan African trophies across four competitions.

Yet neither Al Ahly nor Zamalek are top of Egypt’s Premier League today. Pyramids, a relatively new club, have won 17 of their 23 league games so far and suffered only one defeat. They lead second place Al Masry by 14 points with two games in hand. Al Ahly are fifth, Zamalek 11th, though both have games in hand given after were allowed