Why ZED FC boss Mohamed Shawky escaped fine after missing Al Ahly press conference

Taha Ezzat, the Egyptian Clubs Association’s competitions director, has explained why ZED FC manager Mohamed Shawky was not fined for failing to attend the post-match press conference following his side’s defeat by Al Ahly.

Coaches are required to attend press conferences after Egyptian Premier League matches, but the association accepted that Shawky had been unable to appear because he suffered a sudden and severe bout of exhaustion.

Speaking to FilGoal.com, Ezzat said: “The coach’s attendance at the press conference is mandatory after league matches, but Mohamed Shawky did not attend the ZED and Al Ahly match conference because he was suddenly and severely exhausted.”

He added: “He asked the association for the assistant coach to attend instead of him and the association agreed to that, which is why he was not fined for missing the conference.”

Shawky’s ZED FC team were beaten 2-0 by Al Ahly in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League. The result came before the Egyptian Clubs Association announced its disciplinary decisions for the round.

Despite the absence of the head coach from the media conference, ZED FC received no punishment in the list of sanctions published by the association. The decision followed the agreement for Shawky’s assistant to represent the team at the press conference.

The ruling means there was no financial penalty for the club or its manager in relation to the incident. The association’s explanation focused on Shawky’s sudden exhaustion and the fact that an alternative representative had been approved in advance.

ZED FC will next face Tala’ea El Gaish in the third round of the Egyptian Premier League.