Al Ahly was founded in 1907 as a club where leader of Cairo's students' unions could meet during the struggle against colonisation.[2]
On 25 February 1907, Amine Samy chose the name 'Ahly' for the newly founded club to fit with its purpose. It started out as an Egyptian Limited Liability Company with a capital of 5000 EGP. The club's first chairman was an English man named Mitchell Ince, who facilitated the foundation of the club and issued planning permissions for the land it owned. In the year 1922, electricity was connected to the club's headquarters for the first time to replace gasoline in a major project that cost 52 EGP at the time.
Three years later, the club's congress decided to make membership exclusive to Egyptians, earning them the title of 'the people's club'. From these humble origins, Al Ahly have attracted a large number of followers all over Africa, and claim to have over 50 million supporters, making them one of the most popular clubs in the world.
The club also has a reputation for being one of the most organised and sophisticated in the Middle East, adopting a high moral stance in its business dealings. For this reason it is known as 'the club of values' – a phrase initially coined by the club's all-time idol and former president Saleh Selim.[3]
Al Ahly began to dominate the Egyptian game in the 1940s. In the 1980s the club became successful on a continental level, winning the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1982 and 1987. They triumphed again in the renamed competition in 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2008[4] under the coaching of the Portuguese Manuel José, then finally 2012 making them the most crowned team in Africa, with seven Champions League titles, four Cup-Winners' Cups, five Super Cups and one Afro-Asian Club Championship. In 2001, Al Ahly celebrated their crowning of club of the century in Africa by facing the European club of the century Real Madrid which Al Ahly won 1–0
Al Ahly was the first club to reach the FIFA Club World Cup twice following two consecutive appearances in 2005 and 2006 winning the Bronze Medal in the latter, becoming the first African club to win a medal in the competition. After qualifying for the 2012 edition, Al Ahly became the team with the most appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup, having qualified for 4 times out of 9 competitions held in conjunction with the Auckland City of New Zealand .
Al Ahly supporters were targeted in a post-match riot at Port Said Stadium in February 2012 which resulted in numerous deaths (74) .[5] In 2012, Al-Ahly and Al-Zamalek Ultras opposed the FA's decision to resume the League tournament, and made this clear by staging dozens of protests.
