Zamalek Vice President credits league success to quality within youth amid crisis

Zamalek SC vice president Hisham Nasr has described the club’s current position as “illogical” despite their latest victory, sending them to the summit of the Egyptian Premier League.

Zamalek edged past Pyramids FC with a 1-0 win at the Air Defense Stadium in Round 20, a result that lifted them to 40 points.

The victory placed them three points clear at the top, ahead of both Pyramids and Al Ahly SC. They are set to face Al Ittihad Alexandria Club next Friday at Cairo Stadium in Round 21.

Speaking during a television interview, Nasr acknowledged the contradictions surrounding the club’s progress.

“Despite the financial difficulties the club is going through, there are great players in the youth sector. This sector should be given attention for the future of the Egyptian national team, instead of spending millions on professionals.”

He stressed that relying heavily on foreign players requires more than just recruitment.

“Having five professionals requires an integrated system off the field, as they occupy the positions of local players, but I am not against professionals… and Morocco has reached a high level thanks to the attention given to the youth sector.”

Nasr also addressed the broader challenges facing the club.

“Whether we like it or not, Zamalek is a very big club, but it is going through crises and everyone knows that. If Zamalek receives support and attention, the entire sports system will benefit, and the state must work to solve the problems of popular clubs.”

Reflecting on the team’s rise to the top of the table, he maintained, “What Zamalek is doing is illogical, as they defeated Pyramids and topped the league. We believe in John Edward’s experiment, and disagreement is healthy, but the vast majority agree with the experiment.”

Nasr credited sporting director John Edward for promoting young talent.

“John Edward insisted on the participation of Zamalek’s youth players in the League Cup, and as a result, the team benefited from 7 players from the youth sector, and this is evidence of the brilliant thinking of a sporting director.”

He concluded by calling for improvements in officiating standards, urging the Egyptian Football Association to strengthen the referees’ sector amid growing concerns from clubs.

“The Egyptian Football Association must pay more attention to the referees sector, given the clubs’ doubts about the level of refereeing. Our approach does not rely on constantly issuing statements, but what is required is that the referees’ decisions be consistent in all matches, and that a decision not be made in a particular situation during one match, and then reversed in another match.”