Why Chico Banza is missing Zamalek’s Egypt Cup match against Misr Insurance

Zamalek forward Chico Banza will not play against Misr Insurance in the last 32 of the Egypt Cup after being given time off to make up for leave he missed previously.

Zamalek football director Abdel Nasser Mohamed said Banza had travelled to his home country and is expected to return on 20 November.

“Chico Banza was given a rest for the Misr Insurance match in the Egypt Cup to compensate for his previous leave. He travelled to his country and will return on 20 November,” Mohamed told Zamalek’s media centre.

Zamalek are due to face Misr Insurance shortly in the first round of the competition.

Mohamed added that the club’s regular starters had previously been rested by manager Moatamed Gamal for the match against Wadi Degla, but Banza was not included in that decision because the team needed him for footballing reasons.

“All the players who regularly participate had previously been given a rest by Moatamed Gamal in the Wadi Degla match, with the exception of Chico Banza because of the technical need for him,” he said.

Banza played in Zamalek’s previous fixture against Wadi Degla, which ended in a 1-0 defeat in the second round of the Egypt Capital Cup group stage.

The winner of Zamalek’s match against Misr Insurance will face the winner of the tie between ENPPI and Proxy in the last 16.