By Amr Shaheen BBC Sport, Cairo

Capral (far right) led Zamalek to four titles last season

The presence of foreign coaches in Egyptian club football has grown over the last decade and their effect will be strongly felt in the new season.

The top three clubs all unveiled foreign trainers - Zamalek named Portugal's Eduardo Manuel Martinho Vingada as their coach in June, and arch-rivals Al Ahly followed suit when they appointed Antonio Oliveira, another Portuguese, as their boss one month later.

Ismailia, keen on making a serious challenge for the Champions League, opted for German Theo Bucker.

Foreign coaches are a key component of the success formula for our clubs Al Ahly chairman Hassan Hamdy

Several reasons exist for the preference of foreign coaches over local ones, but the roots lie in the unlikely figure of Hungary's Nandor Hidegkuti.

The legendary Hungarian was a pioneer trainer who dramatically affected the history of football in Egypt.

Following his appointment as a coach in the seventies, Hidegkuti tactics revolutionised the domestic game.

The Hungarian was in charge of Al Ahly and became such an idol that Zamalek also opted for foreign expertise.

A prime reason for the growing presence of foreign coaches in the league is the fact that they do not suffer the scathing criticism that the local media direct at their local counterparts.

Furthermore, they are treated with greater respect than Egyptian managers and are given the time to affect required changes that bring desired results.

"We believe that foreign coaches are a key component of the success formula for our clubs," says Hassan Hamdy, the Al Ahly chairman.

"They are professionals and they spare us the pressure that is put on our local coaches."

Such is the demand for foreign coaches that Egypt's leading clubs are prepared to spend large sums to secure their services.

Zamalek pay Vingada a monthly salary of US $16,000.

Zamalek have opted for Vingada

And Al Ahly have gone further by arranging to pay Oliveira and his assistant a combined annual salary of US $450,000.

To justify their preference for foreign coaching expertise, Zamalek need only point to the four titles won last season by Brazilian Carlos Cabral - the Egyptian league, Cup, Champions League and African Super Cup.

Such is the rivalry between the top clubs that they have feverishly sought out coaches with big names in football.

But many believe such an approach is cruel and unfair to local managers.

"Our coaches never get a fair chance despite the fact that their achievements have been notable," says Abdulmoneim Hussein, a technical manager for the Confederation of African Football.

"El Gohary is a big example."

The most successful coach in the history of Egyptian football, Mahmoud El Gohary led Egypt to the World Cup finals in 1990 and won the African Nations Cup in Burkina Faso in 1998.

But such achievements count for little in the eyes of Egyptian leading football's administrators.