From Cairo to Baghdad: Emad El-Nahhas Takes the Reins at Al-Zawraa

The Appointment: Cairo to Baghdad

Al-Zawraa SC has officially named Egyptian coach Emad El-Nahhas to steer the first team, following the mutual termination of Abdul Ghani Shath’s contract after a stretch of results that did not meet expectations at the season’s start. The club’s administration, led by Haydar Shanshul, announced the decision after a thorough internal review aimed at selecting the best possible leader for a pivotal period in both the Iraqi Premier League and the AFC Champions League.

The club statement underscored that El-Nahhas is among the most prominent coaching figures in Egyptian and Arab football, thanks to a wealth of on field and administrative experience. This combination, the statement argued, makes him an ideal fit to lead a club with Zawraa’s history and stature, famously nicknamed the Zaeem or leader of Iraqi football.

The administrators also noted that the Egyptian tactician is set to arrive in Baghdad in the coming days, having recently concluded a temporary spell with Al Ahly of Cairo. His stint there delivered notable results that stabilized the team as the new leadership era began to take shape.

Meanwhile, Zawraa’s management offered a warm note of gratitude to Shath and his coaching staff, stressing that the amicable departure was in the club’s best interest and conducted with mutual respect as the team pivots toward its ambitious next phase.

El-Nahhas’s career is presented here not as a sudden gamble but as the culmination of a long journey through the heart of Egyptian football and beyond. He is seen as a coach who brings discipline, tactical depth, and a proven track record of improving teams under pressure.

In a broader sense, the move is framed as a bridge between a storied past and a demanding present for Al-Zawraa, whose leadership role in Iraqi football requires both local arousal and continental ambition. The new coach will reportedly assume duties in the capital within a short window, ready to begin shaping a squad in need of balance and focus.

El-Nahhas’s arrival is also a nod to the growing recipe of Egyptian coaches working in Iraq, continuing a trend that has yielded celebrated successes in recent seasons. His appointment is watched closely by fans who remember his prime days as a player and his more recent reputation as a steady, results-driven manager.

El-Nahhas: A Golden Career Inside and Outside the Pitch

Few Egyptian players have left as enduring a mark as El-Nahhas, who began his football journey in the Maghagha youth ranks in Minya before making the first big step at Aswan. His early promise blossomed when he joined Ismaily in 1998, where he helped the club win major trophies and establish himself as a top defender of his generation.

His European and Asian chapters followed a familiar pattern for Egyptian stars who sought growth beyond domestic borders. A stint with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia preceded a move to Al Ahly in 2004, where he became part of a golden generation that achieved CAF Champions League glory twice, along with multiple league titles and World Club Cup appearances. The arc of his playing career culminated with retirement in 2009, after which he moved into administrative and coaching roles at Al Ahly and briefly in Sudan with Al-Merreikh during 2010/2011.

Beginning the Coaching Journey

El-Nahhas began his coaching career with Aswan in 2013, guiding them to promotion to the Egyptian Premier League and subsequently taking charge of Eastern, Raja Al-Matrouh, and Tala clubs. His professional maturation continued with a high-profile stint at Arab Contractors in October 2018, where he helped the team push back into the higher echelons of the domestic table and kept them competitive in national competitions.

His impact at the Mokawloon setup solidified a reputation for building organized, defensively solid teams with a patient, methodical approach. In 2025, following the departure of Marcel Koller, El-Nahhas was brought back to Al Ahly on a temporary basis, delivering six consecutive wins and stabilizing the squad after clinching the league title, a run that earned him widespread praise from fans and pundits alike. He also served as an interim boss after Jose Ribeiro’s exit, recording four wins from five matches before Danish coach Yas Turup was appointed to take the reins.

The Egyptian Influence in Iraqi Football

El-Nahhas’s move is part of a broader pattern of Egyptian coaches leaving a clear imprint on Iraqi clubs. Notable among them is Mohannad Soliman, who led Police to league glory in recent seasons, and Hamdi Al-Badri, who had a stint with Zawraa, underscoring the deep connections between Egyptian football schools and Iraqi clubs. The sector’s openness to Egyptian coaching philosophies reflects a shared history of tactical depth and professional discipline across the region, a trend that Zawraa hopes to leverage as it steps into a new era.

Realities Ahead for Zawraa Before the International Break

With Nahas at the helm, Zawraa confronts a transitional phase, having drawn with Al-Student and Karmah, and suffering a setback against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ahead of the international break. In Asia, the side opened their AFC Champions League campaign with a convincing away victory against an Indian opponent, only to fall to Al Nassr in the following round, highlighting the dual challenge of refining attack while maintaining a sturdy shield at the back. During the summer, the club added a mix of regional and foreign talents — Jordanian Risq Buaini Hani, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Abdullah Nasib, and Bahraini Mahdi Al-Hamidan — to create balance and depth across the squad.

Former coach Abdul Ghani Shath’s public criticisms, including remarks about four players not deserving a place in the squad, underscored a broader conversation about talent and role definition within the team. The club emphasized that a sustained culture of hard work and discipline remains essential for lifting the squad to its potential.

A Heavy Task Ahead for Nahas

Taking charge of Zawraa is not simply a coaching appointment; it is a responsibility to revive a club with historic standing in Iraqi football. Nahas arrives with a portfolio of success across multiple leagues and cultures, and the expectation is that his methodical blueprint, attention to structure, and experience in both domestic and continental arenas will help restore the team’s competitiveness. He will be judged not only by results but by the clarity of his plan, the growth of players, and the re-emergence of Zawraa as a genuine force in both national and Asian competition.

Fans look for a fresh, organized approach, one that translates Nahas’s long arc of professional growth into tangible improvements on the pitch. The Egyptian coach’s track record suggests a capacity to blend defense with measured attacking transitions, a balance Iraqi football has long sought as it eyes top-tier continental performances. The road ahead is steep, but the map is in place, and the man at the helm has already shown he knows how to chart a course through choppy waters.

As both Iraqi and Egyptian supporters prepare for a new chapter together, the hope is that Nahas’s experience and calm leadership will re-energize the dressing room and the stands alike. If the approach bears fruit, Al-Zawraa could well reestablish itself as a focal point of ambition, capable of lifting domestic trophies and competing with the region’s best in Asia.

Punchline time, because even the best tactical plans need a bit of humor. Punchline 1: If his training sessions are as precise as his passport stamps, Zawraa might finally stop leaking goals and start piping them into the net. Punchline 2: They say football is a game of two halves; with Nahas, it’s more like two halves plus a tactical timeout—watch the defense line up and the goals line up behind them, sniper-style.