Barred from Signing Salah: Zamalek's 14th Transfer Ban Strikes Again

Zamalek has faced another setback after FIFA announced today that the club’s registrations are suspended for the 14th time. The decision comes as the team continues to battle severe financial difficulties, including a backlog of payments claimed by former players and clubs in FIFA’s files.

The list of cases against Zamalek features Estrela da Amadora (Portugal), Charleroi (Belgium), Nahda Zemamra (Morocco), Oleksandriya (Ukraine), and Ittihad Tanger, all demanding overdue payments linked to past transfers.

According to Egyptian press, the immediate trigger for the latest ban is a late payment to Tunisian player Ahmed Al-Jefali, estimated at about $80,000, as previously stated by his lawyer in December. Al-Jefali is currently undergoing rehab in Cairo after a short loan spell with Abha Club that yielded limited impact.

Mockery over Salah

Amid the crisis, former Zamalek spokesperson Amr El-Dardir joked on Facebook that signing Mohamed Salah would be difficult in these circumstances.

The joke coincided with Mohamed Salah’s announcement yesterday that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the 2025-26 season after a nine-year stint at Anfield, where he delivered a string of individual and team trophies.

Poll

Question: Can Mohamed Salah bring the Africa Cup of Nations to Egypt?

Yes or No. Cast your vote in the poll below (if you could, you would press both buttons, obviously). Note: no real voting engine is included here.

Punchline 1: If transfer bans were a sport, FIFA would be sponsoring a marathon—good news for fans of patience. Punchline 2: Zamalek’s game plan: keep the receipts, or Salah might end up signing autographs for your accountant.