CAIRO, May 12 (Reuters) - Ismaily's long stay in the Egyptian Premier League came to an end on Tuesday after a 2-1 defeat at Wadi Degla confirmed their relegation to the second division.
The three-time Egyptian champions, who escaped the drop last season only after the Egyptian Pro League cancelled relegation, failed to survive this time and remained bottom of the four-team relegation group with 19 points.
With three matches left, they cannot escape.
It is only the second relegation in Ismaily's history and their first since the 1957-58 season, when the club went down amid the impact of the 1956 Suez Crisis and the departure of key players. They returned quickly to the top flight.
Founded in 1924 and based in the north-eastern city of Ismailia on the banks of the Suez, Ismaily are one of Egypt's oldest clubs and last won the league in 2001-02.
They also have two Egypt Cup titles and were the first Egyptian club to win Africa's premier club competition, known then as the African Cup of Champions Clubs, in 1969.
But the club has fallen on hard times financially and even resorted to publishing its bank account details for supporters to send funds.
With the win, Wadi Degla moved to 48 points and top of the relegation group, with a possibility of survival.
(Reporting By Ahmed Abd Ellatif; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
