El Ahly to stay on Egyptian time-zone in Japan

El Ahly football players are requested not to change their sleeping pattern while in Japan, according to a statement on the club's official website, first reported on Ahram Online.

Coach Hossam el-Badry “decided to train the players early this morning and asked them not to sleep to break the gap between Egypt and Japan Time,” according to the statement.

Ahly players trained in a public garden in Japan close to the crew hotel, the statement added.

It added that African champions el-Ahly are up for the FIFA Club World Cup tournament set between Dec. 6 and 16, in Japan.

The Egyptian team is set to play its first match with the winners of the match between Japan’s Hiroshima and New Zealand’s Auckland City, Ahlam Online reported.