Al-Moealem said that the celebrations will take place all over Egypt and will witness the participation of some of the country’s top celebrities and public personalities.

“Ahli club is a big part of Egypt’s contemporary history and is more than just a sports club,” Al-Moealem told reporters in a gathering on club premises on Monday.

“Therefore the celebration will include celebrities from the field of science, culture and entertainment among others,” he added.

The former club vice-president said that the complete schedule of the events will be announced in mid February, but that they will start earlier that month with a seminar conducted by 1999 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry Ahmed Zewail.

Al-Moealem said that among the other famous contributors will be movie star Adel Emam, renowned music composer Ammar Al-Sherayei and novelist Farouk Guwaida.

He also highlighted the role of Information Minister Anas Al-Fiqi who gave his support in terms of promotional material and coverage of Ahli’s celebrations.

“The celebrations will receive uncontested coverage and will be across Egypt,” Al-Moealem said. “All of Egypt’s clubs are welcome to participate with us in this unique celebration.”

Ahli board member Khaled Mortagi also spoke about the preparations for the anticipated exhibition match that will see Ahli play against a European side.

“We want to have the match in August,” said Mortagi. “We are still negotiating with some European clubs but I can assure you that it will be one of the continent’s most prominent teams.”