Mohamed Sherif rejects Al Ahly payment claims after joining Al-Zawraa on loan

Mohamed Sherif has denied claims that he demanded the full value of his contract from Al Ahly during negotiations over his move to Al-Zawraa, saying he had only held two meetings with the club’s officials.

The Egypt forward, who joined the Iraqi side on loan from Al Ahly, made his first appearance for Al-Zawraa in a 1-1 draw with Karbala in the Iraqi league. He provided the assist for his side’s goal, scored by Uruguayan Michael Gabriel in the 68th minute.

Speaking to Modern, Sherif said reports that he had attempted to secure more money from Al Ahly were untrue.

“It was said that I negotiated with Al Ahly to ask for additional money, but the truth is that I did not have any meeting with the officials in which I asked to receive the full value of my contract, as was reported,” he said.

“I signed a blank contract with Al Ahly while Mohamed Youssef was the sporting director, and I felt I had been treated unfairly because of what was said about me recently.”

Sherif added that he would welcome any clarification from Al Ahly officials if the claims were accurate.

“I did not ask for the full value of my contract as was reported. If that happened, I ask the officials to come out and reveal it. What was circulated on social media is wrong,” he said.

The 72-shirt forward also said his limited involvement last season had contributed to the situation being misunderstood. He argued that his playing time should be considered when assessing his contribution.

“I was treated unfairly because I did not play last season. If the number of minutes I played is counted, the total would be the equivalent of nine or 10 matches,” Sherif said.

He explained that his discussions with Al Ahly had been limited to two meetings: one to agree on the loan move and another to obtain the necessary documents.

“I had two meetings with Al Ahly officials. The first was when we agreed on my loan move and the second was to get the paperwork,” he said.

Sherif said the decision to leave Egypt temporarily was influenced by Hussein Ammouta, and that he had preferred to continue his career abroad.

“I agreed with Al Ahly to leave on loan at the request of Hussein Ammouta, and I preferred to take the experience outside Egypt,” he said.

The forward also revealed that negotiations with another Iraqi club had broken down before Al-Zawraa completed the deal.

“There was a disagreement between Al Ahly and Al-Shorta, which stopped the negotiations. Al-Zawraa were more serious and completed the deal within one day,” he said.

Sherif denied having fallen out with former Al Ahly football director Sayed Abdel Hafeez, saying he retained great respect for him.

“There was no disagreement between me and Sayed Abdel Hafeez. I love and respect him very much, and he knows that I did not create a problem at the club,” he said.

He finished by thanking Al Ahly supporters and wishing the club well.

“Al Ahly’s fans are the ones who made Mohamed Sherif’s name, and I wish Al Ahly success in the coming period,” he said.

Al-Zawraa’s draw with Karbala gave them two points from their opening two matches, leaving them 11th in the table. Karbala have the same number of points.