Zamalek have decided to terminate midfielder Saif Gaafar’s contract and leave him out of the club’s current training camp as coach Moataz Gamal continues to reshape his squad ahead of the new season.
Club officials have determined that Gaafar will no longer be part of the first-team plans, with the coaching staff informing the player that his services were not required.
The decision also means the midfielder has been excluded from Zamalek’s current preparations, following approval from Gamal for him to leave the club.
The move is part of a series of squad decisions being made by Zamalek as the Egyptian club prepares for the new campaign.
Gaafar is not the only player to have been removed from the team’s plans.
Zamalek have also decided to terminate the contract of right-back Ahmed Mahmoud, who has likewise been excluded from the training camp following a decision by technical director Gamal.
The two departures come as Zamalek continue to assess their squad before the start of competitive football.
With the coaching staff reviewing the players available to them, the decisions involving Gaafar and Mahmoud indicate that changes are being made to the composition of the first-team group.
Gamal is now overseeing preparations for the new season, with Zamalek’s training programme including a series of friendly matches designed to help the team build towards the start of official competition.
The club have scheduled three warm-up games as part of their preparations.
Their first fixture will be against Plastic on Tuesday, 11 August.
The match is scheduled to begin at 18:00 at the “Club of the Club” stadium in the New Administrative Capital.
Zamalek will then face Orange in their second friendly on Thursday, 13 August, with kick-off again set for 18:00 at the same venue.
The preparation programme will conclude with a meeting against Modern Sport on Sunday, 16 August.
That match will be played at the auxiliary field of Cairo International Stadium.
The friendly schedule will give Gamal an opportunity to assess the players who remain in his plans and work on the team’s preparations ahead of the new campaign.
It also comes at a time when the squad is undergoing changes, with the departures of Gaafar and Mahmoud reducing the number of players available to the technical staff.
For Gaafar, the decision brings his time with Zamalek to an end after the club determined that he no longer formed part of its plans.
The coaching staff’s decision to inform him that his services were not required was followed by his exclusion from the training camp.
Mahmoud’s departure represents another adjustment to the defensive options available to Gamal, following the decision to terminate his contract and remove him from the camp.
Zamalek must now continue preparations with the players who remain within the first-team group while the technical staff works to establish the squad for the season ahead.
The three friendly matches will be particularly important in that process.
The opening game against Plastic will provide the first opportunity to assess the team’s progress, while the meeting with Orange two days later will offer another chance for Gamal to examine his options.
The final match against Modern Sport will then bring the scheduled friendly programme to a close.
With the new season approaching, Zamalek’s immediate focus is on improving the team’s readiness while making the necessary decisions over the composition of the squad.
The departures of Gaafar and Mahmoud are among the clearest decisions made so far, with both players now outside the club’s plans and excluded from the current camp.
Gamal will therefore continue preparations with a revised group as Zamalek look to build a squad capable of meeting the demands of the new season.
