Ismaily President Nashr Abou El-Hassan responds to dismissal, addresses financial crisis

Nashr Abou El-Hassan, the recently suspended Ismaily club president, says he only learned of the sports minister’s decision to remove him from the press and has yet to receive any official notification.

He stated on TV: “I haven’t been informed by anyone, and I’m still at work. We read the decision on the ministry’s website.” Abou El-Hassan highlighted the dire situation when his board took over: the transfer ban was already in place and club debts totaled $9 million, with additional millions owed to suppliers and players.

He explained they managed to settle international fines of $6.5 million, welcomed audits with no violations reported, and insisted, “No current player is owed any money by the club. I have documents proving there are no financial or administrative violations.” He stressed the previous board’s failures and confirmed selling players for the best value, using funds only to pay off debts, not for the board’s benefit.

Abou El-Hassan noted: “The prior board’s bad management caused all these issues. We requested support from the ministry, but the funds went to the previous management. I can prove this.” He reported that officials wanted to appoint a “shadow council” for the club but he refused, prompting the current decision.

He concluded that all money from transfers went to international debt payments and that his administration was open to audits to ensure transparency.