Zamalek’s official website announced this morning the appointment of Mohamed Medany as a translator for Portuguese coach Jose Gomez, the new head coach of the first football team at the White Castle, before subsequently deleting the news.
The Zamalek board was met with outrage from fans upon Mohamed Medany’s presence at the team’s training session today, where he acted as Gomez’s translator, conveying instructions to the players.
White Knights supporters believe that Mohamed Medany is mistranslating some of the technical instructions to the players, leading to a crisis for the coach both with the team players and in front of the media.
This stance, advocated by Zamalek fans, aims to maintain the team’s focus during the upcoming period.
Sports critic Shadi Eissa commented that the decision of the Zamalek management to backtrack on having Mohamed Medany as Gomez’s translator was in response to the fans’ wishes, following significant backlash the board faced after the initial decision.
مع إن تيتو اشتغل مع مدربين تجربتهم قصيرة زي كيروش وفيتوريا وسوارش..ودي كانت بشرة لجوميز انه مش هايطول ف الزمالك
لكن ادارة النادي كانت اسرع في انها قررت تحمي جوميز ومسيرته ف النادي تطول فقررت التراجع عن تواجد المترجم بعد ان بدأ شغله اليوم ف التدريبات الصباحية
لكن تيتو اشتغل…— شادي عيسي (@ShadyEisa) February 7, 2024
Mohamed Medany previously worked with Portuguese coach Jose Gomez in 2017 when he was a coach at Saudi club Al-Taawoun, prompting Gomez to request Medany’s presence with him at Zamalek, especially after his departure from the national team’s staff following the dismissal of Rui Vitoria.
Some have cited potential future crises for coaches who work with Mohamed Medany due to mistranslations of certain phrases, causing conflicts with the coaching staff, players, or management and media.
Today marked Mohamed Medany’s presence at Zamalek’s first-team football training session for the first time since his appointment.
However, following significant backlash from Zamalek fans, the club’s management is considering retracting Medany’s presence from the coaching staff and seeking another translator in the near future.
Zamalek’s first football team continues its training in preparation for the upcoming match against Ismaily scheduled for February 19th as part of the Premier League’s thirteenth round.
