Zamalek coach Inacio takes another swipe at club president Mansour

Ahram Online , Tuesday 25 Jul 2017

Augusto Inacio
Zamalek coach Augusto Inacio (L) (Zamalek's official website)

Augusto Inacio's war of words with Zamalek president Mortada Mansour continued after the Portuguese coach accused him of lying about the players who may leave the club in the summer.

The former Sporting Lisbon boss said earlier this week that he had nothing to do with the decision to offload some key players in the summer transfer window, prompting a furious response from Mansour who insisted Inacio was the one who demanded that the likes of Mostafa Fathi and Stanley Ohawuchi be released.

Fathi joined Saudi club Al-Taawoun on a season-long loan while Zamalek declined to exercise an option to sign Stanley on a permanent basis for $1.5 million from Wadi Degla.

Mansour also said Inacio wants to offload other players including regular winger Mahmoud Shikabala and main striker Bassem Morsi.

"All reports concerning my alleged demand to offload Shikabala, Bassem Morsi and Ayman Hefni are not true," Inacio told a news conference on Tuesday previewing an Arab Championship game against Lebanon's Al-Ahed on Wednesday.   

"The club's president said that I asked him to offload Shikabala but this is completely false. He has been a regular starter in the team since my arrival.

 "It is him (Mansour) who wants to offload Shikabala not me."

Inacio also said he was not satisfied with the recent changes in his backroom staff.

Tarek Yehia, a former coach of Egyptian sides Maqassa, Talae El-Guiesh, Masry and Ismaily, has recently replaced one of Inacio's Portuguese assistants.

"I've faced many problems since my arrival.  He (Mansour) always appoints an Egyptian assistant who has an ambition to replace me, not to help me," he added.    

"If he wants to sack me I'm ready to leave. The problem is that the people around Mansour are afraid of him; if the chairman held a Pepsi can and told them that it's actually Coca Cola, they would agree and would tell him it tastes great."

The clash between Inacio and Mansour started on Sunday when Inacio criticised the club's management, saying the recent departures left his side short of options on the flanks.

Inacio was named as Zamalek coach last April but could not guide the team to a place in the African Champions League quarters as they were eliminated from the group stage.

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