Doubts raised over Said move

Amr Shaheen
BBC Sport in Cairo

Said wants to play in the Cairo derby

Ibrahim Said's early release from his loan at Everton this week was said to be so the player could return to Egypt to care for his sick mother.

But questions are being raised after the player turned up at his club, Al Ahly, hoping to play in the weekend's big Cairo derby against Zamalek.

He went straight to Ahly on arriving back home and tried to convince coach Jo Bonfrere to include him in the squad for Saturday's match, which, in the Arab world, is as big as Manchester United against Arsenal.

He approached us about taking part in the game against Zamalek Al Ahly club manager Alaa Abdelsadek

"He approached us about taking part in the game against Zamalek, but I believe our players are in top form at the moment and we can handle it without him," club manager Alaa Abdelsadek told BBC Sport.

"This is a crucial match and it is better not to take any risks," he added.

If he had been selected, it would have meant him going to a closed training camp for five days, where he would have been unable to have any contact with his mother.

Ahly officials have also said they are not aware of her having any illness.

Insiders say Said wanted to leave Goodison Park because he had been told there was no hope of him breaking into Everton's first team.

The 24-year old had a meeting with manager, David Moyes, who said the player was not in his calculations.

The Egyptian international then convinced Moyes to release him one month before the end of his loan, saying he wanted to return home and care for his sick mother.

But sources at Ahly say he was racing to get back in time for the derby game, which was postponed for two weeks because of the war in Iraq.

Cairo has experienced a number of violent anti-war protests and the authorities were concerned that the tension of the derby could boil over into rioting.

Said will rejoin the Ahly squad after Saturday's game.