Zamalek vice-president Hisham Nasr says the club did not want to part with Brazilian midfielder Juan Bezerra but felt compelled to consider the offer from Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai because of its difficult financial situation and the needs of the first-team squad.
Nasr said the decision to approve Bezerra’s move to the UAE was not the board’s preferred outcome and would have been different if Zamalek had the financial resources to reject the proposal.
Speaking on MBC, Nasr said Bezerra had been an important player for the team but explained that the club’s financial obligations, together with its approaching African commitments, affected the decision.
“The club remains a large entity and is capable of continuing, whether with Bezerra or after his departure. However, the financial crisis made it difficult to give up on the offer made to the player, especially with the approach of the African commitments.”
The Zamalek vice-president said the money generated from Bezerra’s transfer would primarily be directed towards outstanding payments owed to members of the first-team squad.
He added that the club had already started procedures to pay part of those outstanding amounts, with the financial stability of the football team regarded as a priority.
Nasr also addressed the situation surrounding Hossam Abdel-Maguid, explaining that the defender had remained at the club for two seasons without renewing his contract because of his ambition to pursue a professional career in Europe.
He said the situation demonstrated Zamalek’s continued ability to develop players and attract footballers looking to advance their careers.
Nasr also responded to criticism from sections of the Zamalek fanbase, acknowledging that the board had made decisions that did not produce the desired results.
He said supporters had the right to criticise the administration and express their frustration, while adding that he remained available to fans who wanted explanations about the club’s decisions and affairs.
The vice-president said he was particularly affected by the criticism because he had only recently returned after a lengthy period of illness.
Attention has also turned to Zamalek’s plans for establishing a football company, with Nasr seeking to clarify his position on the project.
He said there was a misunderstanding about his stance and explained that the football team accounts for the largest share of the club’s financial resources.
According to Nasr, the team has annual expenses of about one billion Egyptian pounds, while its revenues are estimated at around 500 million pounds.
Zamalek has been looking for an investor for the proposed football company for more than a year, with several ownership structures being considered.
One proposal would give an investor a 49% stake while allowing Zamalek to retain management rights. Other models have involved Zamalek businessmen joining the investor and the club in the ownership structure.
Nasr said the latest negotiations included a requirement for the investor to cover the gap between the football team’s annual income and expenditure, regardless of the size of that difference, for a period of 10 years.
He also revealed that one proposal to establish the football company was valued at about five billion Egyptian pounds.
Nasr said the creation of the football company remains one of the solutions being considered as Zamalek seeks to address its financial difficulties and establish a more sustainable model for managing the football team in the coming years.
