Zamalek president Hussein Labib has admitted that his board made mistakes in its formation and is responsible for accumulating new debts of between $6m and $7m, despite paying almost half of the financial obligations inherited when he took charge.
Labib made the disclosures during an interview on ON Sport, where he also assessed his administration’s performance, discussed several contentious issues and outlined the club’s plans for the coming period.
On the dispute involving Abdelhamid Maali, Labib said the failure to translate a letter from world governing body Fifa was not the cause of the crisis. Zamalek appealed against the sanction before reaching a settlement with the player, which it submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sport while requesting that the disciplinary punishment be suspended.
The court rejected that request despite the player’s dues having been paid, Labib said, adding that translation had not been an issue in the case.
Zamalek are hoping to have their disciplinary registration ban lifted before the next winter transfer window. The club is making intensive efforts to achieve that, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport has yet to set a date to hear the case.
Labib also gave a low assessment of his board’s work. He said that, if he could go back in time, he would choose different members, indicating that internal disagreements had affected the board’s cohesion. He said one or three members had not been in agreement with the rest, and rated the administration no more than four out of 10.
The withdrawal of Zamalek’s land in 6 October City was described by Labib as the worst day of his presidency. Asked about the club’s biggest loss among Imam Ashour, Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Achraf Bencharki, he selected Ashour.
Labib ruled out Zizo returning to Zamalek and said he had not attempted to sign any Al Ahly player in response to Zizo’s move to the club’s traditional rivals.
Financial pressure
Labib said his board inherited a club facing severe financial difficulties, with liabilities of more than two billion Egyptian pounds. Almost one billion pounds has since been paid, but he acknowledged that new debts of about $6m to $7m had built up under the current administration.
He said some of those liabilities were linked to contractual commitments and financial plans that did not develop as expected. The agreement with Bezera was based on expected income from the October land, but its withdrawal complicated the club’s calculations.
Zamalek have also not yet secured the necessary approvals for a plot of land in the Fifth Settlement, which Labib said was intended to offset part of the losses.
He denied that former president Mamdouh Abbas interfered in board decisions, describing their relationship as one based on discussion and the exchange of views. Labib thanked Abbas for substantial financial donations and stressed that they were not debts owed by the club.
Labib attributed failures in the indoor sports to the absence of properly established teams, coaching staff and youth sections when the board took office, along with mistakes in selecting some coaches and players. He said Zamalek had begun efforts to restore its position in those sports.
In football, he called Zamalek’s African competition group difficult but said he believed the team could reach the final. He added that the squad needed reinforcements in midfield and on both wings, as well as a change in playing style.
Labib said manager Moataz Gamal preferred training away from the club’s headquarters, a decision he left to the coach. He also said it was too early to discuss the next elections and that no board member had yet sought his advice. He would announce his position on the presidential candidates at the appropriate time.
He concluded by saying there was no breakdown in relations with Al Ahly’s board and that he did not want to repeat the experience of signing a player from the Cairo rivals, believing some players who moved between the clubs had failed to settle at their new team.
