Mamdouh Abbas says criminal case will target those accused of obstructing Zamalek

Mamdouh Abbas, the honorary president of Zamalek, says a criminal case will soon be referred to the Economic Court against individuals he accuses of misleading the club and hampering its operations.

Speaking on Al-Nahar television, Abbas said the case would name people allegedly responsible for actions that had damaged Zamalek, including the decision to limit the team’s pre-season preparation to just 20 days.

“There is a case that will be referred to the criminal section of the Economic Court, accusing specific individuals of attempting to mislead the club and obstruct its operations, as well as the person responsible for the farce of the team having only 20 days of preparation,” Abbas said.

He added that investigations were already under way at Zamalek, but claimed that some of those summoned had refused to attend and had switched off their phones.

“The facts indicate that there are people responsible for this matter and there is an investigation at Zamalek,” he said. “Those responsible were asked to attend the investigation, but they refused and turned off their phones.

“The person who says Zamalek owes him 25m Egyptian pounds must return all the money that was lost by Zamalek and paid without justification. For example, the registration ban was imposed because of Bizerra, as his club had not received its financial dues.”

Abbas also gave his account of the dispute involving Bizerra, saying the player had approached a club in the United Arab Emirates and claimed he was entitled to terminate his contract with Zamalek. He said the player’s father had received an advance payment from the UAE club before disappearing.

“Bizerra went to the UAE club and told them that he had the right to terminate his contract with Zamalek, and his father received the contract advance from them and disappeared,” Abbas said. “The UAE club is now looking for him. If Bizerra joins them within two years, Zamalek will receive its money or perhaps more.”

Bizerra has scored eight goals and provided 12 assists, according to Abbas, who said Zamalek would not allow the player’s situation to dominate the club.

“Bizerra, who scored eight goals and made 12 assists, will not dictate terms at Zamalek,” he said. “Why should he? Because he danced for the fans? Those same fans are now attacking him.

“We will not stand by Bizerra, Chico Banza or anyone else who does not want to play – God willing, he will not play. We have a difficult match against National Bank of Egypt and we must stand together for that game.”

Abbas said Mahmoud El-Gamal and Tarek Youssef were among those who had provided significant financial support to Zamalek. El-Gamal had contributed 322m Egyptian pounds, he said, while Youssef had paid more than 100m.

“We still have hope of building,” Abbas added.

Zamalek’s board remains under heavy pressure, with the club’s registration ban still in place and large sums required to resolve its financial problems.

Abbas said he did not defend club president Hussein Labib and disagreed with him on many issues, but questioned what Labib could do if he was unable to unite the board behind decisions.

“I do not defend Hussein Labib and I disagree with him on many matters, but what can he do when he cannot unite the board on a decision?” Abbas said. “There are people who attend meetings for only five minutes and then leave.

“He is ultimately a man with energy, but because of the pressure he is suffering from illness. I have not spoken to him for two and a half months, but I know he is enduring a great deal, amid the desire of some people within the board to bring him down. I will not mention names.”

Abbas said Zamalek could find encouragement in its young players, but stressed that they needed proper support, preparation and well-structured contracts.