Hussein Labib gives Zamalek board 4/10 as club faces up to $7m in new debts

Zamalek president Hussein Labib has admitted the club’s board made mistakes in its composition and is responsible for accumulating new debts of between $6m and $7m.

Labib said Zamalek had inherited financial obligations worth more than two billion Egyptian pounds when he took office, but had since paid almost one billion pounds of that amount.

His comments, made during an interview with ON Sport, included a critical assessment of the board’s performance and several explanations of issues that have caused controversy at the club.

On the case involving Abdelhamid Maali, Labib rejected the suggestion that a failure to translate a letter from FIFA had caused the dispute. He said Zamalek appealed against the sanction, reached a settlement agreement with the player and submitted it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, while asking for the disciplinary punishment to be suspended.

However, the request was rejected despite the payment of the player’s dues. Labib insisted that translation had not been an issue in the case.

Zamalek are hoping to have the disciplinary registration ban lifted before the next winter transfer window. The club is making strenuous efforts to achieve that, although the international sports court has not yet set a date to hear the case.

Labib criticises board and explains new debts

Labib said he would change the make-up of the board if he had the chance to start again. He indicated that one or three members had not been in agreement with the rest of the board, affecting its cohesion.

He rated the administration’s performance at no more than four out of 10.

The president identified the withdrawal of Zamalek’s land in 6th of October City as the worst moment of his time in charge. Among the players he regarded as losses, he selected Emam Ashour ahead of Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Achraf Bencharki.

Labib also ruled out a return for Zizo and said he had not tried to sign any Al Ahly player in response to Zizo’s move to Zamalek’s traditional rivals.

Part of the club’s new debt, he explained, came from contractual commitments and financial plans that did not develop as expected. An agreement with Bizerra had been based on revenue Zamalek expected from the October land, but the withdrawal of that land disrupted the calculations.

The club has also not secured the necessary approvals to obtain a plot of land in the Fifth Settlement, which was intended to compensate for part of the losses.

Labib denied that former Zamalek president Mamdouh Abbas interfered in board decisions. He said Abbas, as a supporter of the club, discussed issues and exchanged views without imposing decisions, and thanked him for substantial donations, stressing that the money was not a debt owed by Zamalek.

African campaign and relationship with Al Ahly

Labib attributed Zamalek’s struggles in indoor sports to the absence of properly established teams, coaches and youth structures when the board took office, as well as mistakes in selecting some coaches and players. He said the club had begun work to restore its position in those sports.

He described Zamalek’s group in African competitions as difficult but remained confident the team could reach the final.

The squad, he added, needs reinforcements in midfield and on the wings, alongside a change in playing style. He said manager Moatamed Gamal preferred to hold training sessions away from the club’s headquarters, a decision that was his own.

Labib said it was too early to discuss the next elections and that no board member had yet asked for his advice. He would announce his position on the candidates for the presidency at the appropriate time.

He also said there was no breakdown in relations with Al Ahly’s board and that he did not want to repeat the experience of signing a player from the Cairo rivals, believing some players who moved between the clubs had not succeeded in their new surroundings.