The outer gate of Zamalek club. Ahram.
The latest sanction, registered as case No. 16 on 6 May, adds to a growing list of financial disputes involving unpaid dues to former coaches, players, and clubs, deepening the club’s ongoing financial crisis.
Neither FIFA nor Zamalek initially disclosed details of the new case. However, reports indicate the ruling relates to outstanding payments owed to former Belgian coach Yannick Ferrera and his assistants, estimated at around $400,000. The decision is final after the club reportedly did not file an appeal.
The most recent case prior to No. 16 was also linked to the transfer of Brazilian player Juan Bezerra from Ukrainian side FC Oleksandriya, with a 29 April filing concerning a $300,000 instalment. Additional unpaid instalments in the same deal remain under dispute.
Zamalek have faced a series of sanctions in recent months. On 3 November 2025, FIFA imposed three separate penalties over unpaid dues to assistants of former coach José Gomes, amounting to between $60,000 and $70,000 plus interest, in addition to outstanding payments owed to Gomes himself.
Later that month, the club received another sanction over delayed payments to former coach Christian Gross, estimated at $133,000. A separate complaint was also filed by former midfielder Ferjani Sassi over $505,000 in unpaid wages.
Further cases include €200,000 owed to Portuguese club C.F. Estrela da Amadora for the transfer of Chico Banza, €170,000 due to Belgian side Royal Charleroi SC related to Oday Dabbagh’s signing, and €500,000 owed to French club AS Saint-Étienne for Mahmoud Bentayg’s transfer.
Additional dues are also reported in favour of Tunisian player Ahmed Jefali.
In total, Zamalek must settle approximately $6.17 million (around EGP 330 million) to resolve all cases and have the transfer ban lifted.
Ferrera, who left the club in November 2025 after a brief tenure, oversaw 11 league matches, recording five wins, four draws, and two defeats. He also guided the team past Somalia’s Dekedaha in the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32, securing qualification to the group stage.
Zamalek are currently preparing to face Algeria’s USM Alger on Saturday in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup final, amid mounting financial and administrative pressures.
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