Rabat- Barcelona has chosen Al Ahly as its opponent in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Sunday, August 19, at the Camp Nou, SPORT reported today, adding that the club only needs to sign the contract in order to finalize the agreement and announce it officially.
According to the report, the choice of the Egyptian club Al Ahly is a direct result of the transfer of the young Egyptian player Hamza Abdelkarim from Al Ahly to Barcelona last winter. The 18-year-old arrived on loan and made a very good impression during his first months in the Barca youth academy. As a result, the club has activated the €1.5 million release clause plus another five in variables for the Egyptian forward.
Al Ahly represents a great option for Barcelona, from both a sporting and a strategic perspective. The Egyptian club is historically one of the greatest Arab and African teams, holding 45 league titles, 39 Egyptian Cups and 12 CAF Champions league titles.
Barcelona hopes its choice of Al Ahly will strengthen the Catalan club’s market position, as Egypt is the most populated Arab country with over 120 million residents. In particular, the club hopes this will help expand the Barca brand to reach a larger audience.
Barca had considered other options such as Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Leipzig, Napoli, Ajax, and other top-tier teams. But the scheduled date of August 19 made it difficult to find top-tier opponents available at that time, leading to Al Ahly emerging as the primary option.
