Egyptian Football Association (EFA) official Mohamed Fadl said on Wednesday that the EFA was forced to postpone the Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek upon the request of Egyptian security authorities, stressing that the EFA had no intention to make any modifications in the Egyptian League fixtures.
The EFA announced late on Tuesday the postponement of the Cairo derby, which was scheduled for Saturday, due to security concerns. The new date for the game has not been revealed.
They added that EFA officials exerted great effort with security authorities to hold the game as scheduled, but they failed to convince the authorities to reverse the decision.
The decision to postpone the derby has been heavily criticised by many clubs, especially since the EFA had promised at the season start that no changes would be made in the new season s schedule.
"The derby postponement is purely a decision by security authorities," Fadl told the EFA s official website on Wednesday.
"Any club that rejects this decision can discuss the matter with security authorities."
Ahly are at the top of the league table with nine points from three games, two points ahead of second-placed Zamalek.
