Ismaili reiterated on Sunday that coach Ricardo Ferreira would remain in charge of the club until the end of the season. Rumors about Ismaili's alleged intention to sack the Brazilian tactician resurfaced following the team's elimination from the Arab Champions League. The Dervishes were eliminated at the quarter-final stage after losing to Tunisia's Esperance on penalties following a 3-3 aggregate draw. "Our assessment of coaches is always based on their performances during the whole season," Ismaili president Nasr Aboul-Hassan told FilGoal.com. "We will make our evaluation at the end of the season. Ricardo and his assistants will keep their jobs. "The Ismaili board does not want to destabilize the team through making any changes now." Ismaili's chances of avoiding ending the season empty-handed look slim. They were knocked out of the Egyptian Cup preliminaries and trial league leaders Ahli, who look to have regained their form after some disappointing results, by seven points. Ismaili can close the gap to four points if they win their game in hand but with the league approaching its end their task to overtake the Red Devils won't be easy. The three-time Egyptian champions' last triumph was in 2002 when they clinched the league title after facing fierce competition from rivals Ahli.
