Preview: Chairman accusation against left-back duo blights Zamalek

Ahram Online , Tuesday 10 Jan 2023

Zamalek will be hoping their season does not unravel as they travel to Alexandria to face Ittihad in the Egyptian Premier League on Wednesday, a few days after the club's eccentric chairman made shocking accusations against the team's two left-backs.

Zamalek v Dakhleya
Zamalek snatched a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Dakhelay in their previous Egyptian Premier League game

 

Mortada Mansour, an outspoken lawyer, accused Egyptian international full-back Ahmed Fattouh and his understudy, Abdallah Gomaa, of consuming hashish following Zamalek's disappointing 1-1 draw with Dakhleya last Thursday.

Both men were withdrawn from Zamalek's squad a few hours before the game, with the club saying at the time that they had felt unwell.

However, Mansour's outburst led to speculation that Fattouh and Gomaa had deliberately skipped the match after learning that they could take a doping test following the Dakhleya game.

Both men were reportedly enraged by Mansour's comments, missing training the following few days. A local anti-doping agency said they must undergo a doping test.

The two players will not be available when Zamalek visit Ittihad as they seek to return to winning ways after a defeat by Aswan and a draw with Dakhleya left them five points behind leaders and perennial Cairo rivals Ahly.

"We were physically inferior against Dakhleya, and that has greatly affected us," Zamalek's coach Jesualdo Ferreira, the mastermind of a surprise league triumph last season, said after the Cairo giants snatched a last-gasp draw with Dakhleya.

The veteran Portuguese boss also urged the fans to continue to show support as Zamalek can ill-afford to fall further behind in the race if they are to win a third successive league title for the first time in their history.

Ittihad, who lie sixth in the table with 18 points, are looking to bounce back from three consecutive defeats against Pyramids, Enppi and Masry.

Zamalek welcome back veteran schemer Mahmoud Shikabala and in-form winger Youssef Nabih after they missed the Dakhleya game.

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