Zamalek's outspoken chairman Mortada Mansour accused Vodafone Egypt of being involved in "the biggest corruption case in Egyptian football," saying that he filed an official complaint with the prosecutor-general. 

Mansour accused Vodafone Egypt, which is the main sponsor of Zamalek's arch-rivals Ahly, of paying a LE1 million bribe to the refereeing committee of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) in order to rig the results of football matches.

In a telephone interview with TV channel Ten TV, Mansour, now a member of parliament, insisted he has all the legal documents to back up his claims and challenged the giant telecom company to disprove them.

"I don't pay attention to these claims [that I do not have any proof]. How can I file the case with the prosecutor-general without documents?" he said, adding that Giza prosecutors were investigating the case.

On 22 December, Mansour held a press conference at Zamalek's headquarters and announced that he filed a complaint with the prosecutor-general against the EFA Referees Committee and others, accusing them of match-fixing and corruption.

"I have documents and recordings proving that an international company paid a LE1 million bribe, and offered another, in the biggest corruption case in Egyptian football," Mansour told the press conference.

EFA board member Mahmoud El-Shamy said a couple of days later that he made an inquiry with the prosecution and found that there were no complaints filed against the Egyptian football governing body or any of its entities.

However, Mansour reiterated his allegations on Sunday and pointed the finger at Vodafone as the company paying the bribes.

"I challenge Vodafone to release a statement denying my claims," he said.

Allegations of football corruption in Egypt often go unnoticed, and authorities barely open criminal proceedings with that regard. 

Former Ahly keeper Adel Heikal, now 81, stirred controversy when he suggested last month that his club paid a bribe to the modest Tersana to facilitate their Egypt Cup win in 1966. There are also numerous allegations of match fixing in Egypt's lower divisions.   

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