Zamalek head coach Yannick Ferreira
“Seif Jaziri will not play with me again—you’ll know the reason later,” Ferreira told reporters in his post-match press conference on Tuesday. He said Palestinian forward Oday Dabbagh had been preferred because he is “physically ready.”
The Egyptian Premier League win, sealed by a second-half goal from Angolan forward Chico Banza, lifted Zamalek to the top of the standings on 10 points after four matches, two ahead of Masry and Petrojet.
Pharco remain bottom with just a single point.
Ferreira acknowledged wasteful finishing as a problem in the first half.
“We couldn’t finish our attacks well and didn’t have enough players in the opponent’s box. We need to work on that,” he said.
He also criticized opponents’ time-wasting tactics, urging referees to clamp down in order to protect the game’s reputation.
“Trying to kill the game ruins football’s enjoyment. Referees should not let it happen. It’s not how Egypt should be represented,” he said.
On other squad decisions, the Belgian coach defended his rotation policy, explaining that defender Ahmed Fattouh started while Bentayg was rested for workload reasons.
Midfielder Ahmed Hamdi, he added, still needs “a lot of work” before returning to the first team.
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