Shikabala slams Zamalek coach Yannick Ferrera after derby defeat to Al Ahly

Former Zamalek captain Mahmoud AbdelRazek “Shikabala” launched a fierce attack on current head coach Yannick Ferrera following the team’s 2-1 defeat to rivals Al Ahly in the Nile Egyptian League.

The Cairo Derby, played in Round 9 of the competition, saw the White Knights fall short despite a strong start. Speaking on MBC Masr 2, Shikabala did not hold back in his criticism of Ferrera’s decision-making.

“A headline for this derby? The coach must leave. You cannot face Al Ahly with such a defensive line-up,” Shikabala said.

He stressed that Zamalek could have capitalized early: “In the first half we could have been 2-0 up, especially in the first 10 minutes. In the second half, we were a completely different team.”

The former winger highlighted what he described as a pattern of poor substitutions: “All his changes were wrong, not only in this match but also in the past three or four games. In the second half, Al Ahly could have scored a third or even a fourth goal if they wanted.”

Shikabala also criticized Ferrera’s handling of players, pointing to the exclusion of winger Chico Banza: “There must be a stand with the coach. You can’t keep creating problems with players and then leave them out. He caused an issue with Chico Banzo and dropped him, and I believe Seifeddine Jaziri should have been included as well.”

He added: “Chico Banzo is known for never staying longer than five or six months at any club because of disciplinary issues, but you’re the one who signed him. You must bear that responsibility, not the team.”

Shikabala concluded his remarks by holding Ferrera directly accountable: “The coach is responsible for what happened, especially in the second half.”

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