Ahmed Samy appointed Al Masry manager after club reject foreign-coach option

Al Masry have appointed Ahmed Samy as their new manager, with the club deciding against pursuing a foreign coach because of concerns that an adaptation period could cost the team valuable points.

Samy replaces Emad El Nahhas, whose departure was previously reported by FilGoal.com. Al Masry thanked El Nahas for his work during his time in charge of the team.

A source at the club told FilGoal.com that German coach Josef Zinnbauer had initially been close to taking the job, but instead agreed to manage Al Hilal in Sudan.

“Josef Zinnbauer was close to coaching the team, but he signed for Al Hilal of Sudan,” the source said.

The club then changed direction and focused on appointing an Egyptian coach, with the source explaining that Al Masry did not want to risk losing points while a foreign manager adapted to the squad and the demands of the team.

“We then decided to move away from the idea of appointing a foreign coach, fearing the loss of points during his adaptation period with the team, and turned towards a national coach,” the source added.

Al Masry completed their agreement with Samy after considering him alongside fellow Egyptian coaches Alaa Abdel Aal and Tamer Mostafa.

“We completed the agreement with Ahmed Samy after comparing him with Alaa Abdel Aal and Tamer Mostafa. Samy has a strong personality and is capable of controlling the team’s star players,” the source said.

Details obtained by FilGoal.com indicate that Samy is due to begin his tenure with Al Masry by taking charge of training on Wednesday at 20:00.

His coaching staff will include Hossam Abdel Aal as assistant manager, Ahmed Fathy as assistant coach, Salah Amin as coach and Osama Abdel Karim as goalkeeping coach.

Samy has previously managed Tala’ea El Gaish, Ceramica Cleopatra, Smouha and Al Ittihad. His most recent coaching role was with Modern Sport.

The appointment brings an end to El Nahhas’ spell in charge, with Al Masry opting for a coach familiar with Egyptian football after Zinnbauer became unavailable. The club’s decision was shaped both by the outcome of its discussions with the German and by its desire to avoid a period of adjustment that could affect results.

Rather than continue negotiations for another overseas appointment, Al Masry narrowed the choice to Samy, Abdel Aal and Mostafa before selecting Samy. The club believes his strong character and ability to manage prominent players made him the preferred candidate.

Samy’s first involvement with the squad will come in Wednesday evening’s training session, when he will officially start work with the team alongside his newly assembled coaching staff.