One-way farewell as Mahmoud Bentayg walks away from Zamalek

Moroccan defender Mahmoud Bentayg has delivered another painful blow to Zamalek by unilaterally terminating his contract, frustrated by the club’s severe financial crisis and its failure to pay his overdue wages.

His departure makes him the third Moroccan to leave the Whites in a short span, after Salah El Din Mossadek and Abdelhamid Maali, deepening the defensive problems, especially at left back where Bentaik had been a regular starter.

Mahmoud Bentayg played 42 matches for Zamalek, logging 2880 minutes, scoring twice and helping the team win the Egypt Cup and the African Super Cup in the 2024-2025 season. He originally joined on a one-year loan before the board activated the purchase option last March for one million euros, then signed a new three-year deal that was supposed to keep him at the club until the end of the 2027-2028 campaign.

Now, the 26-year-old is expected to turn to FIFA to demand all his financial entitlements after ending the deal from his side, arguing that the club did not meet its obligations.

His case mirrors those of several foreign players recently affected by Zamalek’s ongoing money troubles, adding to the club’s off-field turmoil.