Zamalek dispute deepens as Hisham Yeken accuses Abdullah El Said of courting supporters

The dispute over Abdullah El Said’s future at Zamalek has intensified after former club captain Hisham Yeken launched a strong attack on the midfielder, saying he had never regarded him as a genuine Zamalek player and did not believe he deserved to remain at the club.

El Said has asked Zamalek to terminate his contract by mutual consent and to arrange a schedule for the payment of outstanding money owed to him. The request has prompted a public disagreement between the player and the club’s management over his position and future.

Yeken criticised El Said in a post on Facebook, questioning both his commitment to Zamalek and his relationship with the club’s supporters.

“I never felt that Abdullah El Said was a Zamalek player. I always felt that he was trying only to profit from Zamalek’s fans. He is a player who does not deserve to be at the club, and his name should not be associated with Zamalek after today or since last year,” Yeken said.

He added: “Zamalek is big only because of its fans.”

The former captain’s comments came as the dispute surrounding El Said’s contract developed, with the player seeking an agreement that would allow him to leave while also addressing his unpaid dues.

El Said’s agent has attributed the request to what he described as poor treatment of the player and a failure to appreciate his contribution to Zamalek. The agent has also denied that El Said is negotiating with another club.

Instead, he said El Said was considering ending his football career altogether through Zamalek. That would mean the player could bring his career to a close without moving to another club, although no final decision has been announced.

Yeken’s criticism represents a direct rejection of El Said’s standing at Zamalek. He said he had not seen the midfielder as someone who identified with the club and argued that El Said should no longer be linked with its name.

The comments have added to the tension at a time when El Said and Zamalek are discussing how to resolve the player’s contract. El Said wants an amicable separation, while the issue of his outstanding payments remains part of the proposed arrangement.

The former Zamalek captain’s view was that the club’s importance comes from its supporters, rather than from any individual player. His remarks therefore focused not only on El Said’s request to leave but also on what he saw as the midfielder’s relationship with the Zamalek fan base.

No talks with another club have been confirmed by El Said’s representative. The only position communicated by the agent is that the player is weighing whether to end his playing career at Zamalek, where negotiations over his contract and unpaid financial entitlements are continuing.