Zamalek youngster Anas Wael criticises club after 14-year spell ends

Anas Wael has launched a fierce criticism of Zamalek officials after being told only days before the player-registration deadline that he would not remain with the club, bringing his 14-year spell at the Cairo side to an abrupt end.

The winger, who previously represented Zamalek’s youth and first-team sides, announced his departure in a statement posted on his official Instagram account.

“After 14 years inside Zamalek Club, they told me days before registration that I would not continue with the team,” Wael wrote.

He said the club had initially removed his name from its first-team list, leaving him free to sign for any other side, before later contacting him to say the omission had been made by mistake.

“Zamalek’s management removed my name from the first list, to become a free agent entitled to sign for any club, before they later contacted me and confirmed that what happened was a mistake,” he added.

Wael also claimed that club officials had assured him he remained part of Zamalek’s plans and persuaded him to report for pre-season training.

“Zamalek officials told me that I was the future of the club and a son of Zamalek, which led me to join the camp and cancel negotiations with other clubs because I wanted to continue inside the club,” he said.

The player ended his message with further criticism of the club’s administration and said he would reveal more details about what had happened.

“People who know me know how much I am a Zamalek fan, but these people are a gang, and I will still tell the whole story, big and small, of what happened to me. May God be my judge and the best disposer of affairs,” Wael wrote.

Wael is a winger for Zamalek’s 2005 age-group youth team and can operate on either flank in an attacking wide role. He also made several appearances for the club’s first team during the previous season.

His comments come as Zamalek prepare to defend the Egyptian Premier League title. The club won the championship last season with 56 points, finishing one point ahead of Pyramids.

Zamalek will begin their league campaign for the new season against Al Ittihad Alexandria on Friday, 21 August, at Cairo Stadium.

The circumstances surrounding Wael’s departure have not been explained publicly by Zamalek beyond the account of events given by the player in his social media statement. His remarks indicate that he believed he had been given assurances about his future before being informed that he was no longer part of the squad, prompting him to abandon discussions with other clubs.

Wael’s departure therefore marks the end of a long association with Zamalek, where he spent 14 years progressing through the club before featuring for the senior team.