Zamalek's press conference to present new coach Hossam Hassan on Saturday (Photo by Zamalek's official facebook )
Zamalek's new coach Hossam Hassan has expressed great delight over hisreturn as the Cairo giants' coach, insisting that he has great ambitions for his new stint with the Whites.
On Wednesday, Egypt's all-time leading scorer Hossam Hassan succeeded Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' as Zamalek's coach. Mido was fired despite leading the team to the Egypt Cup title in his first season in charge.
"I didn't hesitate to accept the offer to take charge of Zamalek, especially as the current management has offered all elements for success," Hossam, who signed a one-year contractwith Zamalek, said upon his presentation by the club at a press conference on Saturday morning.
"I sacrificed to continue my mission with the Jordanian [national] team to respond immediately to Zamalek's call. I have great ambitions to achieve with the team.
"I would like to thank former coach Mido for his efforts. Coaching in football has become the most difficult job," added the former Zamalek, Ismaily, Maqassa and Masry coach.
The agreement between Zamalek and Hossam comes after he ended his contract as head coach of Jordan's national team last month.
Hossam will be assisted by his twin brother, football director Ibrahim Hassan.
The 47-year-old twins took the charge of Jordan's team a year ago and managed to guide them to the 2015 Asian Cup finals.
Hossam is Egypt's all-time top scorer with 69 goals. He also steered Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek to a host of domestic and continental titles in his glittering playing career that ended in 2007.
However, he had some less than successful stints as a manager, having made little impact while in charge of the likes of Zamalek, Masry and Maqassa.
Hossam's first stint as Zamalek coach – from 2009 until 2011 – ended without a single trophy, despite managing to deliver a string of outstanding performances with the Whites.
"In my first stint with Zamalek, I worked amid a lack of possibilities and despite that, we managed to be a tough opponent for our rivals Ahly," Hossam explained in the press conference.
"This time will be different, as the current management is offering all its support to achieve success. We also need fans to stand behind us to achieve our goals," he added.
Mido's sacking came a few days after Zamalek's hopes of reaching the African Champions League semis were dealt a huge blow with a 0-0 draw at home to TP Mazembe.
"We will fight until the last minute to reach a semi final. The team will have a different style, especially with the recent new signings that will add a lot to our performance," concluded the Whites' new coach.
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