Egyptian football coach Ahmed Fathi made Kenyan football history in July 2026 after becoming the first Egyptian coach to take charge of a club in Kenya’s top flight.
Fathi, who holds a CAF A License, was appointed head coach of Shabana FC on July 3, 2026, ahead of the 2026/27 FKF Premier League season.
Shabana unveiled Fathi as its new head coach at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
“I am highly motivated to take up this great challenge because of the clear, professional vision presented by the club’s board. To survive and win in a demanding league like this, absolute discipline must be our baseline,” Ahmed Fathi said on July 3.
His appointment also made him the first foreign head coach in Shabana’s history.
Ahmed Fathi arrived at the club after finishing fifth with 52 points in the previous Premier League season.
Fathi’s technical team includes first assistant Hesbon Nyabinge, strength and conditioning coach Hatagekimana Corneille, second assistant Andrea Ongwae, goalkeeper coach David Juma, and team manager Elijah Sani.
About Ahmed Fathi
Ahmed Fathi Abdallah Ibrahim was born on August 21, 1985, in Egypt and has spent more than 15 years working in football coaching and technical roles.
Before moving into coaching, Fathi played football in Egypt’s lower-tier leagues.
His coaching career began in Malaysia in 2009, where he worked as an assistant coach at Johor FC.
He later joined FELDA United, where he served as an assistant between 2011 and 2013. His career then took him to Indonesia, where he became head coach of Bogor in 2014.
The Egyptian coach has worked across Africa, Europe and Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Egypt and Ghana.
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Coaching Career in Asia, Ghana and Return to Egypt
Fathi spent several years gaining experience outside Egypt. At FC Osaka in Japan, he worked as an assistant coach from 2016 to 2018 under Haruo Wada and was involved with the club during 61 matches under Wada.
In 2019, Fathi moved to Spain, where he took charge of Málaga C.
From 2021, Fathi worked with several Egyptian clubs in performance and assistant coaching roles, including serving as performance manager at Eastern Company during the 2021/22 season.
He then joined El Mahalla as an assistant coach in 2022 before moving to Bank El Ahly in January 2023.
During the 2023/24 season, he worked as an assistant coach at El Dakhlia before becoming performance manager at Modern Future.
In July 2024, he joined El Gouna as assistant coach under Alaa Abdelaal before moving to Ismaily in March 2025 as assistant to Tamer Mostafa.
Fathi moved to Ghana to take charge of Swedru All Blacks in the Ghana Premier League, overseeing 34 matches, with 12 wins, nine draws, and 13 defeats, giving him 45 points and a points-per-match figure of 1.32 in July 2025.
Fathi later parted ways during the 2025/26 campaign.
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His Target at Shabana
Fathi has set his sights beyond simply guiding Shabana through the new season.
In September, speaking to the Nation, Ahmed said his objective was to win either the FKF Premier League or FKF Cup and qualify for CAF competition during his first season with the club.
“I want to play in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) tournaments after my first season here. I know what that means. We must win the Kenya Premier League (KPL) or the FKF Cup. That is my mission,” Fathi noted at Shabana’s training base at Cardinal Otunga High School in Mosocho.
He has also spoken about the differences in football structures between Egypt and Kenya, pointing to investment in facilities, player development, travel, recovery centers and other areas as factors that have helped North African football develop.
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