Ahmed Fattouh incident explained as Zamalek agent denies player wants to leave

Ahmed Fattouh’s agent has explained the circumstances behind the Zamalek defender’s confrontation with supporters in Rwanda, insisting the player does not want to leave the club or use the incident to put pressure on its board.

Zamalek played the first leg of their CAF Champions League round-of-32 tie against Army Rwanda in Rwanda.

Speaking to Modern MTI, agent Samir Salah said team official Abdel Nasser Mohamed had allowed the players to visit the shopping centre opposite the team hotel after the match, but nowhere else.

“Fattouh did break the rules and went to another place, believing it was a restaurant,” Salah said. “While he was there, a group of supporters arrived and told him players should not stay out late.

“Fattouh replied that he had permission on that day after the match, but he then left and returned to the hotel.”

Salah said some supporters confronted Fattouh again on the flight carrying the squad back to Cairo. Mohamed subsequently asked the player why he had gone to the restaurant, explaining that permission had only been granted for the shopping centre.

“He told Fattouh he would be fined by having money deducted from his dues because of the supporters,” Salah added. “Fattouh said he had not said anything wrong to the fans, but would accept the punishment if the reason was going to the restaurant instead of the shopping centre.”

The agent said Fattouh’s only dispute was with a small number of supporters who had insulted him. Zamalek’s board asked him to apologise, but Fattouh believed doing so would suggest he had committed a further offence.

“I only breached an administrative rule at the club and was punished for it,” Salah quoted him as saying. “I did not stay out late. I left the restaurant after 10 minutes.”

Salah rejected suggestions the episode was linked to Fattouh’s refusal to renew his contract. He said the player had been insulted twice, first in the restaurant and later at the stadium, but had not responded because of his respect for Zamalek and its supporters.

“Fattouh does not want to leave Zamalek and is not putting pressure on the board,” Salah said. “When he received an offer, he told the board that if his departure was in the club’s interests, he would agree; if not, he would stay.”

Regarding an offer from Libya, Salah said Fattouh had hoped it would be accepted, but both he and the player had made clear that Zamalek’s interests came first. The agent said the club later asked whether they wanted to renew, and they agreed to meet, but nobody contacted them after a date was set.

Fattouh would accept a renewal if the terms were suitable, with his main expectation being a salary comparable to his team-mates rather than any specific conditions.

Salah acknowledged previous mistakes, including an incident in which the value of Fattouh’s three-year Zamalek contract was paid in full in connection with a road accident, amounting to about 25-30m Egyptian pounds. He said the player had received his punishment and was now focused only on football.

A Zamalek source told FilGoal.com that Fattouh, Ahmed Sherif and Mostafa El-Zanary were fined heavily for staying out after the match in Kigali. They were warned they could be excluded indefinitely if it happened again, in the presence of captain Omar Gaber.

Zamalek beat Army Rwanda 1-0 in the second leg, with Sherif scoring in the first minute, to progress 2-0 on aggregate. It was their fourth 1-0 win of the season.

Fattouh has played two matches despite an injury because Mahmoud Bentayg was not 100% fit. Zamalek last reached the group stage in 2022-23, when they were eliminated alongside CR Belouizdad, Al-Merrikh and Esperance de Tunis.