The biggest in history... Diab: The Egyptian Premier League is on the cusp of a massive transformation

Diab settled the ongoing debate regarding clubs’ participation in African competitions, confirming adherence to the criteria that have been in place for years: the top two finishers qualify for the African Champions League, and the third-placed team, along with the Cup winners, qualify for the Confederation Cup.

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He confirmed: “And if the Cup winner is one of the top three, the fourth-placed team goes to the Confederation Cup,” stressing that if there were any sudden changes to the criteria, they would have been announced at the start of the season.

Diab also stressed that there is no scope for cancelling relegation this season, pointing out that the agreement reached at the general assembly stipulates that four clubs will be relegated and three promoted, and that this system will remain in place for the next three seasons until the league reaches 18 clubs, he said, ruling out any possibility of reopening the debate on this matter or a repeat of what happened last season (following the cancellation of relegation for Ismaily).

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Diab touched on the football sector companies project (the merger of fan-owned and private clubs), explaining that it is not a full merger but rather partnerships to achieve financial sustainability and bring back the fans, with the possibility of partnering with clubs outside the Premier League, provided that the four designated clubs are relegated regardless of the partnerships, emphasising: “It could be a partnership with fan-owned clubs outside the Premier League.”

On the marketing front, Diab confirmed that the Association is set to announce a new league naming rights partner this month, predicting that this partnership will represent a “huge leap forward” in terms of broadcasting and commercial rights, and will generate significantly higher financial returns for clubs—particularly those with large fan bases—with an unequal distribution scheme that takes into account league positions and the nature of the clubs, he said.

He revealed that the prize money would exceed previous figures (such as 5 million for the league champions and 25 million for the League Cup) and emphasised: “It will be the highest in the history of Egyptian football.”

He noted that “the league’s market value has risen significantly in recent years thanks to improvements in broadcasting and organisation, and the gradual return of fans.”

Diab expressed his satisfaction with 60–70% of what has been achieved so far, emphasising that “the biggest dream is to increase the number of popular clubs in the league and for stadiums to consistently reach full capacity”.