Al-Ahly Tripoli of Libya scored 3 goals in the first half, winning 3-0 over its host, Kemkam, representing Zanzibar, on Saturday, in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the African Confederation Cup.
Hamad Al-Houni opened the scoring in the 20th minute, before newcomer Feston Miley added the second goal just two minutes later.
Algerian Hussein Al-Dahiri completed the hat-trick for the Libyan team in the 27th minute, allowing the team of Egyptian coach Hossam El-Badry to decide the match early.
The match was held at Aman Stadium in Zanzibar, while the return match will be held on September 12 at Tripoli International Stadium in the presence of fans.
At the same time, the Red Arrows of Zambia won 2-0 over their guest, Rouge, from Madagascar, while Primero de Agosto of Angola defeated their host, Green Mamba, representing Eswatini, with the same score, and the Black Bulls of Mozambique beat Atomic Njomi, who came from the Comoros, 1-0.
On Saturday, the Algerian Football Federation appointed former French Marseille midfielder Ibrahim Hamdani as coach of the national team, succeeding Swiss Vladimir Petkovic, state television reported.
Hamdani (48 years old and 4 international matches as a player) takes over the task, despite his limited experience in training, after he led the Algerian under-21 team to win the gold medal in the Mediterranean Games, in Taranto, Italy, last week.
The Algerian Federation had terminated Petkovic's duties in early August, despite extending his contract, which was scheduled to keep him at the head of the technical staff until 2028.
Under the leadership of the Swiss coach, Algeria qualified for the World Cup knockout rounds for only the second time in its history, equaling its achievement in 2014, benefiting in part from the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams. But her journey ended in the round of 32, with her loss to Switzerland 0-2.
Algeria also failed in the African Cup of Nations in January; The competition was eliminated from the quarter-finals after losing to Nigeria 0-2.
The former defensive midfielder played for Cannes, Strasbourg and Marseille in the French League, before ending his career as a player with Scottish Rangers in 2010.
Former Algeria national team captain Antar Yahya was appointed as Hamdani's assistant, and former national team captain Musa Saib was appointed team manager.
Hamdani leads the national team to participate in the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, in the first match against Zambia at Tizi Ouzou Stadium on September 25.
After retiring from playing, Hamdani gradually moved into the world of coaching. He began his experience as an assistant coach with the French club Cote Bleu, before he took over coaching Courbevoie, then Marignan, who supervised him for three seasons, between 2022 and 2025, and led him to the third division.
Last July, Hamdani was appointed coach of the national team for the under-20 category, thus beginning his first direct experience within the Algerian Federation system.
At the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, he led the young team to a successful journey that ended with the gold medal, returning Algerian football to the Mediterranean podium after 51 years of waiting.
Egypt celebrated winning 58 medals in the Mediterranean Games Championship in Taranto, Italy, especially after obtaining the number it had previously achieved in the same tournament in Beirut in 1959, which was 23 gold medals.
The Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Gohar Nabil, reviewed a report on the harvest of the Egyptian Olympic delegation in the Mediterranean Games “Taranto 2026” in Italy during a meeting of the Prime Minister, and described Egypt’s achievement of 58 medals distributed among 23 gold, 16 silver, and 19 bronze as “a new historical harvest, with which Egypt surpassed its previous best numbers in the Mediterranean Games, and topped the participating Arab countries, in one of the most prominent participations.” “Egypt on the Mediterranean stage,” according to a statement by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The Minister of Youth and Sports stressed that “this achievement was not the result of one champion, nor one game, but rather came as a result of the work of an entire system in which the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and sports federations participated, through preparation, care and follow-up programs that extended until the moment of competition.”
Egyptian sports critic Saad Siddiq said, “The Egyptian delegation achieved honorable results and is superior to many countries, which confirms that sports are moving at a steady pace towards achieving more achievements thanks to the state of understanding between the members of the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee.”
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Olympic Committee is in a state of friendliness and cooperation with all members of the system. Everyone works for the public interest and does not consider attempts to cast doubt and unconstructive criticism on the part of a group that has devoted itself to attacking Egyptian sports officials for the purpose of settling scores.”
After presenting the detailed results in numbers, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly extended his congratulations and appreciation to Egypt’s Olympic delegation, including champions and technical and administrative staff, praising the historic sporting achievement that raised Egypt’s flag in international forums.
He stressed “the necessity of redoubling interest in emerging talents and competencies in various games, and nurturing them fully, in a way that ensures the continuation of the creation of champions and opens the way for new generations.”
Egyptian social media sites and pages celebrated what Egypt had achieved, highlighting its presence in fifth place in terms of achieving medals among the 27 countries that participated in the tournament.
Egyptian sports critic Osama Saqr believes that “the Ministry of Youth and Sports has the right to celebrate this achievement, especially since we equaled the Beirut tournament in 1959 in terms of gold medals with 23 medals.” He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “We must take into account that this tournament measures the level of Egyptian players at the level of the Mediterranean countries, not at the level of Europe, science, or Asia, but it is a tournament in which we have the right to be proud of the results, but we must pay attention to the necessity of supporting the Egyptian teams.” And the players in all tournaments so that they follow the right path.”
Saqr points out that “the Mediterranean Games usually involve the second or third teams at the national team level, with the exception of individual games such as wrestling, karate, weightlifting, etc., which is generally promising for Egyptian sports and calls for optimism, but it must be built upon in what is coming to achieve achievements at the Olympic and international levels.”
