Zamalek tell Seif Gaafar to return to first-team training

Zamalek have told Seif Gaafar to resume training with the club’s first-team squad after the 26-year-old had been left out of the technical plans and was working alone.

Gaafar had previously been training individually after being removed from Zamalek’s footballing plans. FilGoal.com understands that the club has now informed him that he can rejoin collective training.

The decision follows earlier comments from his father, Farouk Gaafar, who said the midfielder had initially been included in Zamalek’s squad before being told the club wanted him to leave shortly before the league season began.

“Seif Gaafar was registered in the first squad, and four days before the league started I was surprised that Zamalek wanted him to leave,” Farouk Gaafar said on MBC Masr 2.

“He was told either to leave by mutual consent or go out on loan.”

Farouk Gaafar said he had contacted Zamalek’s football director, Abdel Nasser Mohamed, to question the timing of the proposed departure.

“I spoke to Abdel Nasser Mohamed, the football director, and told him that the timing was not suitable, especially because all the teams had closed their squads,” he added.

“Zamalek was also dealing with a registration crisis, so what was the reason for Seif to leave?”

Farouk Gaafar said Abdel Nasser Mohamed had confirmed that Zamalek wanted the player to depart, although he remained unclear about who had made the decision.

“Abdel Nasser Mohamed said the club wanted him to leave,” he said. “Until now, I do not know who made this decision, and I do not like interfering in anyone else’s work.”

He also criticised the arrangements under which his son had been training.

“The more serious matter is that Seif Gaafar is not training with the team. Instead, he is training alone at one o’clock in the afternoon,” he said.

Gaafar was promoted to Zamalek’s first team in 2019 and subsequently spent time on loan at Smouha.

He later left Zamalek on a free transfer to join Pyramids before returning to the club once again.