Former Egypt striker Gamal Abdel-Hamid has claimed that Pyramids FC has taken Al Ahly's spot as Egypt's strongest team.
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The emergence of the Sky Blues means Egypt now has a 'Big Three' made up of Pyramids, Al Ahly, and Zamalek.
While Al Ahly has historically been Egypt's biggest and best team, Zamalek has proven worthy rivals and boasts an impressive resume.
Pyramids' rapid rise to the top has seen a shift in the football landscape as now there are three sides regularly competing for major honours both domestically and on the continent.
According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Abdel-Hamid reportedly claimed that Pyramids did not replace Zamalek at the top of Egyptian football but instead emerged as a threat to Al Ahly's dominance.
"Pyramids haven’t taken Zamalek’s place," he said. "They’ve become a direct rival to Al Ahly. Who used to consistently reach the Egypt Cup final? Al Ahly. But now it’s Pyramids appearing in the final — this shows they’ve taken Al Ahly’s spot."
He added: "The same applies to the CAF Champions League. Al Ahly used to be a regular finalist in recent years. Now Pyramids are the ones challenging for the title. Zamalek finished third in the league — a position that Al Ahly only dropped to when Pyramids overtook them for second place. It’s clear that Pyramids have taken Al Ahly’s place in the race, not Zamalek’s."
The three sides all stand a chance to win silverware this season with Al Ahly favourites for the Egyptian Premier League, Pyramids face Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League final, while Zamalek and the Sky Blues will play for the Egyptian Cup.
He said Zamalek's troubles would not stand in the way of success.
"Everyone knows Zamalek is going through tough times, but we’re still winning trophies," he said.
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"This has been one of our worst seasons — yes, we lost most titles — but we reached the Egypt Cup final and were in the league title race until the final weeks. So is there really any doubt that we’re a championship team?" he concluded.
