Al Masry has never won the league, but won their one Egyptian Cup in 1998. The club used to play their home matches at the Port Said Stadium, with a capacity of 17,988.
History
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Establishment and Early years
Founded on 18 March 1920 by a group of Egyptians in Port Said, it was the first club for Egyptians in a Cosmoplitan city that already had many clubs for the foreign communities living there.[1] The idea of creating a club for Egyptians was one of the manifestations of the 1919 Egyptian revolution against the British occupation.
The first board of directors of the club was headed by Ahmed Hosni, Secretary General of the Municipal Council in Port Said. The board of directors comprised a group of Egyptians from the city’s notables, without any foreign member. It was taken into account that the formation of the board of directors reflected the representation of all Egyptians, both Muslims and Christians, to emphasize the nature of the club as a gathering entity for all spectrums of national identity, and the founding fathers of the club chose “Al Masry” which means in "The Egyptian" as a name for the club to emphasize this idea.
The founding members of Al Masry inspired the club's name from the famous national song Oum Ya Masry "Arise Egyptian" of Sayed Darwish. They also derived the color of Al Masry's green jersey from the green Flag of Egypt that the revolutionaries raised during the 1919 revolution for the first time. Al Masry began its activities by playing against Egyptian and foreign teams in the Canal region, the matches against foreign teams was full of enthusiasm that led to the increase of Al Masry's popularity to be the most popular team in Port Said. The club also contributed with some other Egyptian clubs to the establishment of the Egyptian Football Association in 1921.
Al Masry team, winners of Sultan Hussein Cup in 1934
In February 2012 the Port Said Stadium disaster took place, where rioting Masry fans caused the deaths of 72 rival fans, and hundreds of injuries. 69 Masry fans were convicted, with 26 receiving the death penalty, and numerous others receiving life sentences.
After the riots, the remainder of the 2011–12 Egyptian Premier League season was cancelled by the Egyptian Football Association. Al Masry decided to refrain from competing in the 2012–13 season as a sign of respect to the relatives of the victims of the disaster, although it obtained a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirming the club's right to participate in the Egyptian Premier League and all other activities of the Egyptian Football Association.[2] Nevertheless, 2012–13 season was not completed and was cancelled due to the political situation in Egypt.
Al Masry resumed participation in the Egyptian Premier League in the 2013–14 season; the club suffered from inconsistent performance and results for two consecutive seasons, although it maintained its position in the Egyptian Premier League. Al Masry started the 2015–16 season under the coaching of the Egyptian former player of the team Hossam Hassan, who adopted a new policy depending on youth and unknown players. That season the team came in at fourth place in the Egyptian Premier League and succeeded to qualify to the CAF Confederation Cup after 14 years of absence from African completions.
Colours and crest
The Egyptian flag (1922–1958).
Al Masry's crest is composed of a green pharaonicHorus eagle that holds the Sun disk over its head in between its two upraised wings; the crest was inspired by the shape of Tutankhamun'spendants referring to challenge and strength, so the team is nicknamed the green eagles. The club's main colours, green and white come from Egypt's flag after the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 as a symbol of patriotism.[3]
Al Masry formerly played their home games at a small stadium in Port Said, but its capacity was too small for the club's support. As a consequence, Al Masry built its own new stadium which is named Al Masry Club Stadium in 1953 and was officially inaugurated in 1955.[4]
The Sayed Metwally Complex is the training center of Egyptian multi-sport club Al Masry SC. It has two grass pitches and is mainly used by the senior squad and the youth teams. It was renovated in 2011 to be ready to host the training sessions of the first team and its friendly matches. In November 2013 Al Masry board of directors took a decision to name the pitches after the club's late president Sayed Metwally who remained in the office for almost 26 years.[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Al Masry SC also competes in other sports, such as handball, athletics, swimming, gymnastics, billiards, table tennis and field hockey.[citation needed]
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