Zizo faces £20m claim from former club Zamalek, says legal adviser

Zamalek are seeking up to 20m Egyptian pounds from former player Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed over payments the club says it was owed from advertising appearances and television interviews.

The club’s legal adviser, Kamal Shouaib, said Zamalek had filed a complaint against Zizo with the Public Funds Prosecution, alleging that he breached his contract and acted improperly towards the club.

“We submitted a complaint against Zizo to the Public Funds Prosecution,” Shouaib told DMC. “Zizo made a mistake and overstepped against Zamalek, and the club had previously announced that it would seek all of its rights.”

He added: “The club proved that the player had no entitlement. On the contrary, Zamalek has rights against him.”

According to Shouaib, Zizo appeared in 10 promotional advertisements and television programmes while under contract with Zamalek. The club claims he received money for those appearances without paying the agreed share.

“The contract states that Zamalek should receive 20% of that money,” Shouaib said.

He said the club had not been informed about the advertisements or television appearances and was seeking an estimated 20m Egyptian pounds, in addition to compensation for damage caused to Zamalek.

“The estimated amount we are demanding is 20m Egyptian pounds, as well as the damage suffered by the club,” he said. “But the Public Funds Prosecution will determine the real value of these contracts.”

Shouaib said Zizo’s most recent television appearance took place while he was still contracted to Zamalek. If that appearance was excluded from the calculation, he said, there were still nine other advertisements and television appearances under consideration.

“The incident has a criminal aspect because the club did not receive the money it was owed, but we must wait for the prosecution’s decision on the matter,” Shouaib added.

He also disputed a payment clause cited by Zizo in a separate dispute with the club.

“Zizo invented a clause called a ‘bonus’,” Shouaib said. “The Players’ Affairs Committee said that this term had no document or existence except in the player’s memorandum. The committee’s reasons were clear and explicit that the player had no right in his complaint against Zamalek.”

Shouaib said Zamalek had also taken steps to lift the disciplinary registration ban imposed on the club.

Zamalek and Zizo had lodged complaints against each other, with both claiming they were entitled to outstanding payments from the other party. The Players’ Affairs Committee of the Egyptian Football Association subsequently notified both sides that their complaints had been archived.

Zizo had complained to the Egyptian Football Association over unpaid sums he said Zamalek owed him, while the club filed its own complaint after accusing him of stopping training during the final period of his time at the club.

Zizo left Zamalek at the end of the season before last and joined Al Ahly on a free transfer.