Sunday 01/March/2026 – 06:54 PM
The month of Ramadan comes upon us every year to light up our hearts and spread joy, but there are always missing lanterns and departed stars that have disappeared from us, but their memory remains in our minds, illuminating our memories just as Ramadan lanterns illuminate our streets.
Missing string of lanterns
Cairo 24 continues to publish the Missing Lanterns series, through which it takes the readers’ memories back to the path of the late stars who left a mark on Egyptian football, while during today’s episode we return to the memory of the late Ihab Galal, the coach of the Egyptian national team, and the owner of a distinguished coaching career, who we lost in the year 2024.
Ihab Jalal’s dream and painful departure
Usually, any football coach’s dream is to reach the top of the pyramid by coaching the biggest clubs and national teams, and this is the same case in Egypt, where everyone seeks to assume technical responsibility for the Egyptian national team, Al-Ahly, or Zamalek.
The hero of today’s episode was one of the few who achieved a number of their dreams by coaching the greats of Egyptian football. He was the late Ihab Galal, who rose as a bright star quickly, and was able to lead Zamalek, Pyramids, and finally the Egyptian national team. However, luck did not smile at him in his experience with the Pharaohs, and fate did not give him much time to achieve more dreams after he passed away on September 11, 2024.
The beginning of Ihab Jalal’s story
Before the painful death scene that saddened all Egyptian football fans and lovers, the story began in the past, specifically on August 14, 1967 in Dakahlia Governorate, when a child was born who loved football since his childhood, and began practicing his passion in Al-Shams Club, before the greatest career with Al-Ismaily from 1990 to 1999, which witnessed him winning the Egyptian Cup title with the Dervishes at the expense of Al-Ahly.
Ihab Galal’s career did not stop there, but he decided to wear the Al-Masry Al-Port Said shirt for 3 seasons, before concluding his career on the field with Al-Qana Club, until he hung up his shoes and retired from playing in 2004.
An administrative career before turning to training
After retiring from football, Ihab Galal assumed the position of director of football at the Egyptian Club, then repeated the matter with Al-Ismaily in 2008, until he decided to move away from administrative duties, to return to his beloved through the coaching portal.
An escalating training journey
Ihab Jalal began his training mission with the Kahraba Ismailia team in the third division, before moving between Al-Hamam, Kafr El-Sheikh and Telefat Beni Suef clubs, until settling in his most important station of all, which is taking over the task of coaching Misr El-Maqasa.
Ihab Jalal glowed with the clearing
Ihab Galal took over as coach of Misr El Maqasa in 2014 and formed a team with him that was dangerous to all competitors. He even won second place in the Premier League and participated in the African Champions League for the first time. However, disagreements with the club’s management due to the sale of distinguished stars – led by Ahmed El Sheikh, Mido Gaber and Imad Fathi – prompted him to leave the club in 2018.
Distinctive experiences and opportunity for Zamalek
After his departure from Al-Maqasa, Jalal took over the task of coaching Enppi for 6 months, before leaving the team to coach Zamalek in January 2018, before he quickly left after an unsuccessful experience to move to the Libyan League.
After the experience in Libya, Ihab Jalal returned again to Egypt, and took over the task of coaching his old Egyptian team, Port Said, then moved to Al-Maqasa again for a short period, then he took over coaching Al-Ismaili, his former home, and from there to Pharco, until the period of glow.
The glow of Pyramids leads to the realization of the dream
In 2021, luck decided to smile at Ihab Galal again, after Pyramids signed him to lead the team, but true happiness came when fate handed him the training of the Egyptian national team on a silver platter, in 2022 after the departure of Carlos Queiroz after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In contrast to the ship of Ihab Galal, who left Pyramids and answered the national team’s call, the winds of sadness came quickly, after Al-Jabaliya decided to leave the coach only about 3 months after his appointment, and after he played only 3 matches with the Pharaohs.
Great sadness and a return without passion
After the painful national team station, which saddened Ihab Jalal and caused him fatigue – as described by his lifelong companion and assistant Hamad Ibrahim – the coach decided to return again from the Pharco Gate, then the Ismaili Gate, which was the last station that witnessed his distinguished career.
Just as he began his real career in Ismaili, he ended it within the walls of the Dervishes, when Ihab Jalal passed away from our world on September 11, 2024, about 10 days after he suffered a major health crisis, as a result of which he was transferred to the hospital and stayed in the intensive care room, before we lost a character among the missing characters and lanterns in the blessed month.
