After several weeks of searching for a new manager, defending Egyptian Premier League champions Zamalek abruptly changed their mind, deciding instead to keep Motamed Gamal as their head coach.
The decision, made on 28 July, meant Gamal will remain as head coach for the 2026-27 season.
In their official statement, Zamalek said they had decided to keep Gamal in charge of the first team “and grant him full authority to manage the team’s affairs, along with all the requirements needed to help him continue his success,” citing his strong performance last season in which the club finished first in the league and reached the final of the African Confederation Cup.
Gamal, 53, had been brought in as interim coach midway through last season and went on to lead Zamalek to their 15th league title, though the team lost the Confederation Cup final to Algeria’s USM Alger on penalties.
The team has returned to the more prestigious Champions League. Zamalek said they had settled all FIFA-related legal cases tied to their African competition license, paving the way for the Cairo giants to compete in next season’s tournament.
Despite winning the league, Gamal’s future at the club remained in doubt after the season ended, with Zamalek holding advanced talks over appointing a foreign coach.
The decision ended Zamalek’s attempts to appoint one of either Serbian coach Vuk Rašović, Spanish coach Pablo Franco or Bulgarian manager Ivavlo Petey.
At the same time, Zamalek accepted the resignation of sporting director John Edward Nassif, an Egyptian football administrator.
Zamalek thanked Nassif for his work and said they would hold a farewell ceremony in his honour. The board also plans to appoint a new sporting director shortly.
Zamalek did not disclose Nassif’s reason for resigning, but reports say the choice of head coach seems to have been a central disagreement between him and the board.
Nassif wanted to appoint a foreign manager and had reached terms while President Hussein Labib and several board members favoured Gamal because of his familiarity with the squad, recent results and the cost of employing a foreign coaching staff.
Zamalek appointed Nassif, 42, as sporting director in June 2025 and initially gave him full authority over the first team and other football matters.
Zamalek announced their pre-season training camp began on Friday 31 July ahead of the new Egyptian league season, which kicks off on 20 August.
The club are set to compete for five championships next season: the league, the Egyptian Cup, the Super Cup, the League Cup, and the Champions League, their first Champions League campaign in three years.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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