Houcine Ammouta becomes first Moroccan coach in Al Ahly history

Egyptian giants Al Ahly have announced the appointment of Moroccan coach Houcine Ammouta as head coach of the club's first team, replacing Danish manager Jess Thorup.

In a statement published on its official X account, the Cairo-based club said Ammouta had signed a two-year contract, becoming the first Moroccan coach in Al Ahly's history.

The club said its board of directors, chaired by Mahmoud El Khatib, approved a restructuring of the football department during a meeting held on Monday. The plan was proposed by vice-president Yassine Mansour and board member Sayed Abdelhafiz, who oversees football affairs.

Al Ahly also confirmed the appointment of former club star Yasser Radwan as assistant coach within Ammouta's technical staff.

The Egyptian club parted ways with Thorup following a disappointing campaign that saw Al Ahly lose the Egyptian Premier League title to rivals Zamalek and exit the CAF Champions League in the quarter-finals against Tunisia's Espérance de Tunis.

Ammouta arrives with an impressive record. He led Morocco's local national team to the 2020 African Nations Championship (CHAN) title and guided Wydad Casablanca to both the Moroccan league title and the CAF Champions League crown in 2017, defeating Al Ahly in the final. He also won the CAF Confederation Cup with FUS Rabat in 2010.

On the international stage, he won the Qatari league title with Al Sadd in 2013 and led Jordan to its first-ever AFC Asian Cup final in 2023.