Hazem Emam warns Zamalek: Challenging to compete for African title with this squad

Former Zamalek star Hazem Emam urged the club’s board to act quickly to resolve its registration ban and sign new players in January, warning that it would be difficult for the team to compete for the CAF Champions League title with its current squad.

Emam said Zamalek’s group in the competition was difficult and that strengthening the team during the winter transfer window would be important, especially if the group-stage matches continued beyond January. He added that playing two or three matches at the end of that stage with the current squad might be possible, but winning the title would remain difficult.

He said it would be extremely difficult to compete for both the Egyptian league and the CAF Champions League with the same squad, particularly with some players leaving. He noted that Zamalek’s winning the league last season despite difficult circumstances was not something that happened often.

He called for the team to be strengthened before the final group-stage matches to help new players get involved and improve the team’s chances of reaching the knockout rounds. He also said winning the competition could provide financial returns to help the club with its problems, including the registration-ban issue.

He identified Zamalek’s needs as at least three or four players, including a standout striker and a defensive midfielder, along with reinforcements in other positions and the retention of the current players. He considered Sundowns a difficult obstacle and described Pyramids’ squad as the strongest technically, but said facing them was not impossible and that Zamalek could match them, while showing respect for the competition’s opponents in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.