Zamalek to Discuss Players’ Dues and the Future of the Football Company at Upcoming Meeting

Zamalek’s board, headed by Hussein Labib, will meet next Wednesday to discuss club and first-team matters, foremost among them overdue players’ dues and the future of the football company project. Labib had promised the players that part of their dues would be paid before the end of November this year, while the board is seeking to resolve the issue and achieve stability within the team.

The board will discuss developments in establishing the football company and its final proposed structure, amid objections from club figures and former stars to the proposed ownership shares and management, particularly the granting of the largest stake to an investor and the potentially influential role this could entail in managing the football department. The board is considering postponing implementation of the project until a formula with broader acceptance is reached, while Hussein Labib is trying to reach an understanding with those who object and explain that an investor’s entry does not mean changing the club’s identity. The board believes the project could provide new financial resources to support the football team.

A meeting scheduled between Labib and a number of club figures to discuss the company was postponed because of the Investment Committee’s celebration. In response to criticism over the celebration’s costs, the club explained that the board had not borne the costs of organizing it, and that the committee had organized it as part of efforts to seek investment opportunities and sources of income.

In another matter, negotiations with Hossam El-Zanaty over his taking up the position of sporting director are still facing difficulties, despite having made progress earlier and coming close to an announcement of an agreement. The points under discussion include financial flows, administrative stability and the future of the football company, as well as the makeup of the administrative team that would work with him. According to the source, questions and requests that emerged in the final stages complicated the negotiations, and the matter has not yet been resolved.