Zamalek plan registration workaround as transfer ban continues to bite

Zamalek are attempting to use a registration loophole to keep four young players at the club despite an ongoing transfer ban that continues to disrupt preparations for next season.

The Cairo giants have left Anas Wael, Ayman Amir Abdelaziz, Ahmed Magdy and Abdelrahman Kamal out of their initial domestic squad list, but intend to add them later through a second registration phase, FilGoal reports.

Second-list strategy for quartet

According to the report, Zamalek are currently negotiating with the quartet to sign the Egyptian Football Association’s new standard registration forms, followed by fresh contracts that would allow the club to register them in a secondary squad list.

The club’s legal position rests on the fact that the last official registration of all four players was with Zamalek. On that basis, officials believe they are entitled to register the players again, even while under a transfer embargo.

This is the same rationale Zamalek previously used in the cases of goalkeeper Mohamed Nadeem and Ahmed Abdel Rahim “Esho”, who were registered despite restrictions on new signings.

The approach underlines how constrained Zamalek remain by sanctions linked to past disputes with former players, forcing the club to focus on retaining current assets rather than recruiting from outside.

Duo omitted from new-season squad

In contrast, two other players will not be registered at all for the upcoming campaign.

Zamalek have decided against listing Ammar Yasser and Ali Abdelmajid in their squad for next season, the report says.

Ali Abdelmajid’s contract with the club expired at the end of last season. Although he is understood to have signed a new deal, that contract has not yet been officially ratified by the relevant authorities, leaving his status unresolved.

Ammar Yasser, meanwhile, still has time left on his existing contract with Zamalek. However, the club has nonetheless opted not to include his name in the new-season list, effectively sidelining him from first-team plans for the coming campaign unless circumstances change.

Transfer ban still in force

Zamalek remain under a registration ban imposed because of multiple outstanding cases involving former players. Those disputes have restricted the club’s ability to reinforce the squad at a time when rivals are actively strengthening ahead of the new season.

Officials at the White Knights are now racing against time to resolve the legal and financial issues that triggered the sanctions. The hope within the club is that some or all of the cases can be settled before the new campaign begins, allowing at least partial relief from the embargo.

Until then, Zamalek’s strategy is focused on maximising what room for manoeuvre exists within the registration rules, particularly for players whose last official affiliation was with the club.

The situation leaves the former African champions trying to assemble a competitive squad for next season largely from their existing pool, academy graduates and players whose administrative status allows them to be re-registered despite the ongoing ban.