Wikipedia

2020–21 Egyptian Premier League

The 2020–21 Egyptian Premier League, also known as The WE Egyptian Premier League for sponsorship purposes, was the 62nd season of the Egyptian Premier League, the top Egyptian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1948. The season started on 11 December 2020 and is concluded on 28 August 2021. Fixtures for the 2020–21 season was announced one week before the start of the competition.

Egyptian Premier League
Season2020–21
Dates11 December 2020 – 28 August 2021
ChampionsZamalek
13th title
RelegatedWadi Degla
El Entag El Harby
Aswan
Champions League[a]Zamalek
Al Ahly
Confederation Cup[b]Pyramids
Al Masry
Matches played306
Goals scored765 (2.5 per match)
Top goalscorerMohamed Sherif
(21 goals)
Biggest home winPyramids 6–0 Ghazl El Mahalla
(28 August 2021)
Biggest away winMisr Lel Makkasa 0–5 Pyramids
(25 August 2021)
Highest scoringNational Bank of Egypt 5–3 Misr Lel Makkasa
(18 August 2021)
Longest winning run8 matches
Zamalek
Longest unbeaten run19 matches
Zamalek
Longest winless run14 matches
El Entag El Harby
Longest losing run6 matches
Misr Lel Makkasa

The season was initially scheduled to start in July, but was delayed to November and later to December due to effects and consequence of the postponement of the previous season's conclusion due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt.[2]

Al Ahly were the defending champions, having won their 5th consecutive and 42nd overall league title in the previous season. Zamalek secured their 13th league title and their first since 2015 with two games to spare; ending Al Ahly's five-year dominance.

Teams edit

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2020–21 Egyptian Premier League teams

Eighteen teams will compete in the league - the top fifteen teams from the previous season, and three teams promoted from the Egyptian Second Division.

Teams promoted to the Egyptian Premier League
On 12 October 2020, National Bank of Egypt secured promotion for the first time in their history following a 1–1 draw with Asyut Petroleum in the final round, in which they finished the season at the top of Group A with equal points with second-placed Beni Suef, but they beat them on head-to-head points.[3]

Ghazl El Mahalla became the second team to be promoted on 13 October, after spending four years in the Second Division, as they ended their season at the top of Group C, winning in the last round 2–1 against Olympic Club, thus having a two-point lead ahead of Pharco.[4]

Ceramica Cleopatra were promoted for the first time in their history on 15 October, as they finished their season at the top of Group B, following a goalless draw with Gomhoriat Shebin in the last round, thus they were one point ahead of second-placed Petrojet.[5]

Teams relegated to the Egyptian Second Division
The first club to be relegated was Tanta, who suffered an immediate return to the Egyptian Second Division following Wadi Degla's 4–1 away win against El Entag El Harby on 28 September 2020, which assured the relegation of the El Gharbia-based side. Despite having a decent start early in the previous season, Tanta's performance was progressively worsened and eventually led the club to go on a 17-game winless run and finish on bottom of the table.[6]

The second club to be relegated was FC Masr, who also suffered an immediate return to the Egyptian Second Division following a 1–1 home draw with ENPPI on 3 October 2020 that confirmed the club's relegation. The club did not enjoy a good success in their first-ever season in top flight as they managed to win only 3 matches and conceded more goals that any other club in the league.[7]

Haras El Hodoud became the last club to be relegated on 12 October, as they lost 1–2 to Zamalek in the 33rd round; thus returning to the Second Division after only two seasons in the top tier.[8]

Venues edit

Al Ahly Aswan Ceramica Cleopatra
Al Salam Stadium Aswan Stadium Suez Stadium
Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 27,000
 
 
  
ENPPI El Entag El Harby Ghazl El Mahalla
Petro Sport Stadium Al Salam Stadium Ghazl El Mahalla Stadium
Capacity: 16,000 Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 14,564
   
El Gouna Ismaily Al Ittihad
Khaled Bichara Stadium Ismailia Stadium Alexandria Stadium
Capacity: 12,000 Capacity: 18,525 Capacity: 19,676
 
Al Masry Misr Lel Makkasa Al Mokawloon Al Arab
Borg El Arab Stadium[c] TBD[d] Osman Ahmed Osman Stadium
Capacity: TBD Capacity: TBD Capacity: 35,000
 
National Bank of Egypt Pyramids Smouha
Arab Contractors Stadium[e] 30 June Stadium Alexandria Stadium
Capacity: TBD Capacity: 30,000 Capacity: 19,676
Tala'ea El Gaish Wadi Degla Zamalek
Gehaz El Reyada Stadium Petro Sport Stadium Cairo International Stadium
Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 16,000 Capacity: 75,000
 
 
Notes
  1. ^ The 2020–21 Egyptian Premier League was not finished by the CAF deadline. As a result, the Egyptian Football Association announced that Zamalek and Al Ahly, who were at first and second place after 29 rounds respectively, would represent Egypt in the Champions League.[1]
  2. ^ The 2020–21 Egypt Cup was not finished by the CAF deadline. As a result, the Egyptian Football Association announced that Al Masry and Pyramids, who were at third and fourth place after 29 rounds respectively, would represent Egypt in the Confederation Cup.[1]
  3. ^ Al Masry's home stadium, Al Masry Club Stadium, will be unavailable for the 2020–21 season as it's undergoing renovation, and as a result will be required to choose another stadium to be used as their home venue for the 2020–21 season.
  4. ^ Misr Lel Makkasa's home stadium, Faiyum Stadium, did not receive approval from local authorities to host the club's home matches for the 2020–21 season yet, and as a result the club might be required to choose another stadium to be used as their home venue for this season.
  5. ^ National Bank of Egypt's home stadium, National Bank of Egypt Stadium, did not meet the EFA requirements to host Egyptian Premier League matches, and as a result will be required to choose another stadium to be used as their home venue for the 2020–21 season.

Personnel and kits edit

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Al Ahly   Pitso Mosimane   Mohamed El Shenawy   Umbro WE, SAIB Bank, Royal Dutch Shell1, Tiger Chips1, GLC Paints2
Aswan   Alaa Abdelaal Mohamed Gaber   Puma WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Ceramica Cleopatra   Haitham Shaaban Amer Mohamed   Kelme Ceramica Cleopatra Group
ENPPI   Helmy Toulan   Ramy Sabry   Nike WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
El Entag El Harby   Ahmed Abdel Moneim Ahmed Yehia   Uhlsport WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Ghazl El Mahalla   Khaled Eid Mohamed Fathalla   Kelme Misr Life Insurance
El Gouna   Reda Shehata Nour El Sayed   Adidas Orascom Group
Ismaily   Ehab Galal Mohamed Sobhy   Jako WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Al Ittihad   Hossam Hassan   Xtep WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Al Masry   Ali Maher   Nike WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Makkassa   Mohamed Azima   Nike WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Al Mokawloon Al Arab   Emad El Nahhas   Mahmoud Abou El Saoud   Kelme WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
National Bank of Egypt   Khaled Galal   Nike National Bank of Egypt
Pyramids   Takis Gonias   Abdallah El Said   Puma Swyp2, TikTok
Smouha   Ahmed Samy   Ahmed Homos   Kelme WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
El Geish   Abdel Hamid Bassiouny   Mohamed Bassam   Kelme WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Wadi Degla   Mario Salas    Sigma Fit WE, Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair
Zamalek   Patrice Carteron   Shikabala   Puma Oppo, SAIB Bank, Egyptair, Lactel
1. ^ On the back of shirt.
2. ^ On the sleeves.
  • WE, Oppo, El Kasrawy Group, SAIB Bank, EgyptAir and GLC Paints are the league's main sponsors, and their logos are printed on most teams' kits.
  • Referee kits are made by Puma.

Managerial changes edit

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Number of Matches Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
National Bank of Egypt   Eid Maraziq Resigned 15 October 2020[9] Pre-season   Mohamed Youssef 19 October 2020[10]
Pyramids   Ante Čačić Sacked 1 November 2020[11] Pre-season   Rodolfo Arruabarrena
Ismaily   Heron Ferreira Sacked 3 Matches 21 December 2020 8th   Talaat Youssef 22 December 2020
Ismaily   Talaat Youssef Resigned 0 Matches 24 December 2020 8th   Saafan El-Sagheer 24 December 2020
Tala'ea El Gaish   Tarek El Ashry Resigned 5 Matches 2 January 2021   Abdel Hamid Bassiouny 4 January 2021
Aswan   Sami El-Sheshini Sacked 6 Matches 10 January 2021   Alaa Abdelaal 10 January 2021
Ismaily   Saafan El-Sagheer Interim January 2021   Dragan Jović 29 January 2021
Wadi Degla   Nikodimos Papavasiliou Sacked 21 January 2021   Mario Salas 1 February 2021
Ismaily   Dragan Jović Resigned 18 March 2021   Ehab Galal 19 March 2021
Misr Lel Makkasa   Ehab Galal Signed by Ismaily 19 March 2021   Mohamed Azima 24 March 2021
Wadi Degla   Mario Salas Sacked 27 May 2021   Abdul Baki Jamal 27 May 2021
Misr Lel Makkasa   Mohamed Azima Resigned 28 June 2021   Mohamed Abdel-Galil 29 June 2021
Pyramids   Rodolfo Arruabarrena Sacked 1 July 2021   Takis Gonias 10 January 2021

Foreign players edit

Clubs can have a maximum of four foreign players registered during the season. Clubs cannot sign foreign players unless these players have played in the first or second tier in their countries. Clubs also cannot sign any foreign goalkeepers. In addition, each club can register a player from Palestine, Syria, or the UNAF region; those players are not counted as foreign players. Also, any foreign player who holds Egyptian nationality is not considered a foreign player and will be registered as a local player. For example, Al Masry's player Mahmoud Wadi of Palestine holds both Palestinan and Egyptian nationalities, and as a result he is not registered as a foreign player.

  • Players name followed with † indicates the player is playing out on loan.
  • Players name followed with § indicates the player is playing for the club on loan.
  • Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
  • Players name in ITALICS indicates the player has left the club during the mid-season transfer window.
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Under contract Former players
Al Ahly   Walter Bwalya   Aliou Dieng   Junior Ajayi   Badr Benoun   Ali Maâloul   Aliou Badji   Geraldo
Aswan   Solomon Mensah   John Avire   Moussa Dao
  Jean-Claude Iranzi
Ceramica Cleopatra   Kwame Bonsu   Winnful Cobbina   Fonsinho   Maxwell Baakoh   Seif Teka
ENPPI   Fiston Abdul Razak   Tonia Tisdell   Himid Mao   Ziad Boughettas
El Entag El Harby   Mohamed Sanogo Vieira   Abdul Wahab Hanan   Mamadou Ndioko Niass   Badr Mousa
  Rafik Kamergi 		  Aymen Trabelsi
  Moussa Diawara
Ghazl El Mahalla   Emmanuel Karbogi   Moses Odo
El Gouna   Serge Arnaud Aka   Allan Kyambadde   Joseph Ngwem   Mohamed Lahbib Yeken   Walter Bwalya
Ismaily   Marouane Sahraoui   Ary Papel   Benson Shilongo   Redouane Cherifi   Fakhreddine Ben Youssef   Piqueti
  Humam Tariq
  Patrick Kaddu
Ittihad   Damion Lowe   Emmanuel Okwi   Razack Cissé   Omar Midani   Wilson Akakpo
  Mohamed Anis Saltou
Al Masry   Saïdou Simporé   Austin Amutu   Emeka Christian Eze   Kazadi Kasengu   Mohammed Saleh   Muftah Taktak
  Cheick Moukoro
  Mahmoud Wadi
Misr El Makasa   Shimelis Bekele   Kevin Muhire   Muftah Taktak   Paulin Voavy   Ahmed Marchuh
Al Mokawloon Al Arab   Farouck Kabore   Luis Hinestroza   Maarouf Youssef
  Jacob Njoku
National Bank of Egypt   Mohamed Koffi   Estrela   Maarouf Youssef   Moussa Diawara   Mohamed Methnani
Pyramids   Eric Traoré   John Antwi   Wilfried Kanon   Lumala Abdu   Amor Layouni
  Mahmoud Wadi 		  Ribamar†
  Hamed Hamdan
  Cristian Benavente† 		  Keno
  Azubuike Okechukwu
Smouha   Rafik Kabou   Eddy Ngoyi   Maguette Diop   Derrick Nsibambi   Mohamed Al Tarhoni
Tala'ea El Gaish   Franck Engonga Obame   Ibrahim Kone   Toni Gomes   Talla N'Diaye
Wadi Degla   Issahaku Yakubu   Jorginho   Rodney Antwi   Diego Calderón   Iheb Mbarki
Zamalek   Hamid Ahadad   Achraf Bencharki   Seifeddine Jaziri   Ferjani Sassi   Hamza Mathlouthi   Mohamed Ounajem

Results edit

League table edit

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Zamalek[a] (C) 34 24 8 2 61 21 +40 80 Qualification for the Champions League
2 Al Ahly[a] 34 22 10 2 72 29 +43 76
3 Pyramids[a] 34 13 16 5 51 37 +14 55 Qualification for the Confederation Cup
4 Smouha 34 12 18 4 54 41 +13 54
5 Al Masry[a] 34 13 11 10 44 38 +6 50 Qualification for the Confederation Cup
6 ENPPI 34 12 13 9 37 35 +2 49
7 Al Ittihad 34 12 12 10 35 35 0 48
8 Tala'ea El Gaish 34 10 12 12 41 37 +4 42
9 Al Mokawloon Al Arab 34 11 8 15 37 45 −8 41
10 Ceramica Cleopatra 34 8 15 11 41 46 −5 39
11 Ismaily[b] 34 10 11 13 42 44 −2 38
12 El Gouna 34 8 14 12 36 41 −5 38
13 Misr Lel Makkasa 34 10 8 16 36 54 −18 38
14 National Bank of Egypt 34 6 17 11 39 44 −5 35
15 Ghazl El Mahalla 34 7 14 13 28 41 −13 35
16 Wadi Degla (R) 34 5 15 14 29 38 −9 30 Relegation to the Second Division
17 El Entag El Harby (R) 34 5 13 16 35 60 −25 28
18 Aswan (R) 34 6 9 19 29 61 −32 27
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-Head points; 3) Head-to-Head goal difference; 4) Head-to-Head goals scored; 5) Head-to-Head away goals scored; 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored.
(Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c d The 2020–21 Egyptian Premier League was not finished by the CAF deadline. As a result, the Egyptian Football Association announced that Zamalek and Al Ahly, who were at first and second place after 29 rounds respectively, will represent Egypt in the 2021–22 CAF Champions League. Meanwhile, Al Masry and Pyramids FC, who were at third and fourth place after 29 rounds respectively, will represent Egypt in the 2021–22 CAF Confederation Cup.[12]
  2. ^ Ismaily were deducted 3 points.


Results table edit

Home \ Away AHL ASW CCL ENP ENT GMH GOU ISM ITH MAS MMK MOK NBE PYR SMO TGS WDG ZAM
Al Ahly — 2–1 4–0 2–0 4–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–2 3–1 3–2 1–1 2–2 1–2 2–1 0–0 1–1
Aswan 1–3 — 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 0–1 0–2 0–2 2–3 2–4 1–2 0–2 0–2 1–3 2–1 1–4 0–0
Ceramica Cleopatra 0–2 1–1 — 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–3 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–2 1–2
ENPPI 1–3 0–1 2–1 — 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–2 3–2 0–0 1–1 0–0 1–2
El Entag El Harby 2–3 1–1 0–2 0–0 — 0–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–3 2–1 1–0 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–2 2–2 0–2
Ghazl El Mahalla 1–0 0–1 0–2 1–0 1–3 — 0–0 2–2 1–1 1–2 1–2 1–2 0–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 2–2 2–1
El Gouna 3–3 1–1 3–2 1–0 2–3 0–0 — 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–3 1–1 1–2 2–2 0–4 2–0 0–0
Ismaily 0–2 3–2 1–2 1–1 3–3 3–1 3–2 — 1–2 2–1 2–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 0–2 0–0 0–2 0–2
Al Ittihad 1–2 1–3 0–0 0–1 2–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 — 1–1 2–1 4–2 0–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–2
Al Masry 1–2 3–0 2–2 1–3 2–3 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 — 0–0 3–1 0–0 1–2 0–1 1–0 2–2 0–1
Misr Lel Makkasa 1–4 1–0 1–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 3–1 0–4 1–1 — 0–0 3–5 0–5 1–1 0–2 3–1 0–1
Al Mokawloon Al Arab 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–0 1–3 0–1 3–2 — 2–0 0–2 1–2 0–1 1–0 0–2
National Bank of Egypt 0–0 2–2 1–1 2–3 3–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 2–0 0–1 0–1 — 0–0 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–1
Pyramids 0–0 2–0 2–4 1–1 3–2 6–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 0–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 — 0–3 1–0 1–1 1–1
Smouha 0–1 5–0 0–0 1–1 4–2 1–1 3–1 0–3 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 — 4–2 2–1 0–2
Tala'ea El Gaish 0–0 3–0 2–2 1–1 3–0 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–0 1–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 — 1–0 1–2
Wadi Degla 1–2 0–0 0–0 1–2 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–1 2–1 4–2 1–3 1–2 0–1 — 0–0
Zamalek 1–2 3–0 2–0 3–1 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–2 4–1 2–2 4–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 —
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Season statistics edit

Goalkeeping

Most Cleansheets

Rank Player Club Cleansheets
1   Mohamed El Shenawy Al Ahly 12
  Mohamed Bassam Tala'ea El Gaish
3   Mohamed Abou Gabal Zamalek 10
  Islam Tarek El Gouna
  Mohamed Sobhy Al Ittihad Alexandria
6   Mohamed Abdel Monsef Wadi Degla 10
7   Amr Shaaban Ghazl El Mahalla 9
8   Ahmed Masoud Al Masry 8
  Mahmoud El Zonfouly National Bank of Egypt
  Mahmoud Gad ENPPI

Scoring edit

Top scorers edit

Rank Player Club Goals
1   Mohamed Sherif Al Ahly 21
2   Mostafa Fathi Smouha 17
3   Achraf Bencharki Zamalek 15
  Ahmed Yasser Rayyan Ceramica Cleopatra
5   Omar Kamal Al Masry 13
6   Basem Morsy Misr Lel Makkasa 12
  Karim Bambo National Bank of Egypt
8   Ahmed Samir Tala'ea El Gaish 11
  Shimelis Bekele Misr Lel Makkasa
  Fakhreddine Ben Youssef Ismaily
  Ahmed Ali National Bank of Egypt
  Omar El Said El Gouna
  Mostafa El Badry El Entag El Harby

Assists

Top Assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1   Ali Maâloul Al Ahly 12
2   Hussein El Shahat Al Ahly 10
  Amr El Halwani Aswan
4   Mohamed Magdy Afsha Al Ahly 8
5   Ahmed Refaat Al Masry 7
  Achraf Bencharki Zamalek
7   Ahmed Sayed Zizo Zamalek 6
  Mostafa Fathi Smouha
  Amr Gamal Tala'ea El Gaish
  Abdallah El Said Pyramids

Number of teams by governorate edit

Number of teams Governorate Team(s)
9   Cairo Al Ahly, ENPPI, El Entag El Harby, Al Mokawloon Al Arab,
National Bank of Egypt, Pyramids, Tala'ea El Gaish, Wadi Degla and Zamalek
2   Alexandria Al Ittihad and Smouha
1   Aswan Aswan
  Giza Ceramica Cleopatra
  Faiyum Misr Lel Makkasa
  El Gharbia Ghazl El Mahalla
  Ismailia Ismaily
  Port Said Al Masry
  Red Sea El Gouna

References edit

  1. ^ a b @EFA (August 10, 2021). "اتحاد الكرة يرسل أسماء الأندية المصرية المشاركة في بطولتي أفريقيا" [EFA sends names of Egyptian clubs participating in the Champions League and Confederation Cup next season to CAF] (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Egypt FA suspend all football activities amid COVID-19 concerns". KingFut. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Bank Al Ahly secure historic promotion to Egyptian Premier League". kingfut.com. 12 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Ghazal El-Mahalla return to Premier League after four years". kingfut.com. 13 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Ceramica Cleopatra promoted to Premier League for first time in their history". kingfut.com. 15 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Tanta relegated from Egyptian Premier League". KingFut. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  7. ^ "FC Masr relegated from Egyptian Premier League". KingFut. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Zamalek regain second place, send Haras El-Hodoud out of Premier League". Ahram online. 12 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Bank Al Ahly head coach resigns after Premier League promotion". kingfut.com. 15 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Bank Al Ahly appoint Mohamed Youssef as their new head coach". kingfut.com. 19 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Pyramids FC confirm appointment of new head coach". kingfut.com. 1 November 2020.
  12. ^ @EFA (August 10, 2021). "اتحاد الكرة يرسل أسماء الأندية المصرية المشاركة في بطولتي أفريقيا" [EFA sends names of Egyptian clubs participating in the Champions League and Confederation Cup next season to CAF] (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
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