El Zamalek's coach Ahmed Hossam "Mido" gestures during their Egyptian Premier League derby soccer match against Al-Ahly at Borg El Arab "Army Stadium", near Alexandria, Egypt, February 9, 2016. (Reuters)
Zamalek's sacked coach Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam apologised to the Whites' fans, congratulated Ahly supporters after their win in the Cairo derby.
Zamalek dismissed Mido and football director after the team's 2-0 loss to Ahly in the Egyptian league derby in Alexandria on Tuesday.
"I apologise to Zamalek fans for letting them down. I did my best in my work from the first minute, but I wasn't lucky. Thank god for everything," Mido said on his Twitter account Wednesday morning.
"Congratulations to Ahly fans after the deserved win. Wish you the best of luck.
"I would like to thank Zamalek players and the technical staff, especially Hazem Emam, the most respectable person I've ever met," the rookie coach added.
The former Tottenham striker was named as Zamalek's coach in December, replacing Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta who was shown the door for some poor results.
Although Zamalek won their first four matches under Mido, they were still criticised for lacklustre displays.
Mido, who led Zamalek to the Egypt Cup title in 2014 but lost the league to rivals Ahly in his previous spell in charge, was subject to further criticism following a 1-1 draw with Smouha, which was followed by a 1-0 defeat by Ismaily last week.
Assistant coach Mohamed Salah will replace Mido as an interim coach until the club appoints a new foreign coach.
He will be Zamalek's fourth manager this season after Jesualdo Ferreira, Marcos Paqueta, and Mido.
The defending champions are second in the league table with 31 points, seven behind leaders Ahly after 16 matches.
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