Explained: Zamalek star missing since April 10, coach Peseiro denies any bad feelings

Zamalek star Ahmed Sayed "Zizo" has not played for Zamalek since April 2, missing the last four matches. Photo Credit: Zamalek SC/Facebook

Portuguese coach José Peseiro, the manager of Zamalek, has denied recent rumors suggesting he is angry about the absence of team star Ahmed Mostafa “Zizo” from the squad during this period.

Speaking to the club's media center, Peseiro clarified that he was the one who asked the club’s management to determine the player's situation a week before the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinal against South African side Stellenbosch.

Peseiro said that Zizo was not fully focused with Zamalek due to issues surrounding the renewal of his contract.

The crisis involving Zizo and Zamalek began when the club discovered that the player had signed a pre-contract with arch-rivals Al Ahly in preparation for a move next season after the expiration of his current deal with Zamalek.

For this reason, the player was initially excluded from the Stellenbosch match on April 9 which ended in a 0-1 home defeat and eliminated Zamalek. Since then, Zizo has not participated in team training since April 10, having completely been cut off from sessions at the club.

In another context, Peseiro explained that he is the one who made the decision to divide the squad into two groups for training during this period.

The Portuguese manager noted that he split the players into two groups in order to focus on the core squad, with the team facing crucial matches in the league title phase in addition to the upcoming Egypt Cup final against Pyramids on May 20.