In memory of Saleh Selim’s birthday

Last Sunday was the birthday of the former President of the Al-Ahly Egyptian Club, the late Mohamed Saleh Selim. And with his wisdom, experience, toughness and crisis management, no one will disagree the Maestro was the best president for the Red Castle in its long  and fractious achievement-filled history He wasn’t a fan of media or money. He loved to work for the  organisation where he took the leadership for several years. Years that witnessed great achievements, fatal and crucial decisions. He took in the darkest conditions and moments to build the castle of principles which, was never shaken until recently when it was invaded by business. I follow the performance of the current board of Al-Ahly, under the leadership of Hassan Hamdy, since the Port Said Massacre last February 1. I can’t remember if it was on the desired level at the start, but it quickly deteriorated to be very distant from the principles and values Saleh Selim founded this organisation on. I asked myself, what if the Port Said Massacre happened in the era of Saleh Selim? How would he have responded? I didn’t find a more realistic answer except that the Maestro would have knocked on every door that  would have preserved the rights of the fans. He wouldn’t have let the fans dare to break into the club as has happened many times. But he also wouldn’t have accepted that the first football team would participate in the local competitions after the explicit and shameless complicity between the Egyptian Football Federation and Al Masry Club, so the Port Said Club could get a court order from the International Sports Court cancelling the sanctions imposed on it. Even if its fans had committed the massacre and their hands were stained with the blood of more the 70 Ahly fans. Earlier, Saleh Selim took a firm decision to withdraw Al-Ahly from the Premier League because of an unjust jury decision in a game against Ghazl al Mahalla, and prevented the players from playing the following game against al Etihad of Alexandria. He actually applied what had been decided and the Football Federation Board was dissolved because he had the right.  So, what about killing more than 70 fans who travelled to Port Said to support a football team? Or doesn't the current board see they have this right? The current Board of directors accepted the participation of Al-Ahly in competitions organised by a federation conspiring with the killers of its fans. This also led the public to break into the club and try to stop the players from participating to the super game. But the sponsors' contracts were more effective on the team stars, along with as the appeal from the management for the grieving public. We remember Saleh Selim and cry over the principles he always consolidated in the Al Ahly Club. Business has come and wasted them with the current board, which ignored the rights of innocent victims for the sake of sponsorship contracts and advertising money. I want to dedicate this article to the current board of Al-Ahly, which is about to lose masses of fans. Those fans who remember Saleh Selim for his firm positions, favouring the rights and the interests of the Red Castle first, and then for his great achievements... men are positions, and how many wonderful positions the Maestro took for the sake of Al-Ahly and its fans. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.