Zamalek in Turmoil: Resignation Sparks Leadership Shuffle as Local Coach Emerges
31 December 2025
Resignation and the Road Ahead for Zamalek
An official source inside Zamalek club confirmed that Ahmed Abdel Raouf's resignation from the club's technical leadership did not come as a surprise to the board.
The source told Kooora in an exclusive statement that Abdel Raouf's remarks at the press conference after the 32nd-round match against El Mahalla in the Egypt Cup were paving the way for his departure.
He added: "Abdel Raouf's remarks carried a tone of despair and severity, serving as the final indicator that the relationship between Abdel Raouf and the circumstances surrounding the team had reached a dead end, after Abdel Raouf exhausted his energy trying to balance matters amid an atmosphere lacking stability."
The source explained that the immense pressures facing the team in recent times exceeded the coaching staff's capacity to endure, especially as the club is going through a crucial transitional phase that requires calm that has been absent from the scene recently.
He pointed out that the resignation was nothing more than a foregone conclusion in a bitter reality the coach faces inside the White Castle's walls, between resource shortages and rising voice of criticism from fans and the media.
As for the identity of the new head coach who will lead the team, the source indicated that the board's tendency strongly leans toward a local coach, completely ruling out hiring a foreign coach at the moment.
This decision stems primarily from the club's crippling financial crisis, which prevents committing to big salaries in hard currency, as the club awaits the final moments to finalize an agreement with one of the Egyptian coaches and announce it officially once the final tweaks to the contract are in place.
Punchline 1: If football had a budget committee, it would demand a transfer deadline for salaries—right before the season starts, of course. Punchline 2: At Zamalek, the rumor mill runs on espresso and deadlines, and somehow both always miss the finish line.
