Say you're sorry

---

Mortada Mansour

DESPITE the recent reconciliation between the Egyptian Handball Federation (EHF) and Zamalek club, the EHF is insisting on its previous decision not to allow Zamalek's handball team to play in this year's league season because the club's president did not apologise to the board for inflammatory language.

"It's true that he agreed with the ministry (of youth) about the reconciliation and dropped all law suits he filed against the federation. But he has insulted us all and owes us an apology," Hassan Mustafa, president of both the Egyptian and international handball federations, said.

"It wasn't my decision but that of the Congress. We called for an urgent meeting and informed them with the reconciliation terms. They insisted that he should publicly and officially apologise to the federation and all its members," Mustafa added.

Zamalek's president Mortada Mansour refuses to apologise, saying he had agreed on all terms according to the youth ministry and had dropped several law suits. It is, he claims, the turn of the EHF "who is being stubborn and will lead us to more trouble and problems among the club members, EHF and the fans."

The handball league earlier this month began without Zamalek, the first time the club, the defending league champion, is absent from the national championship. Mansour's verbal abuse at the federation and Mustafa in last year's final game against Ahli led the federation to ban Zamalek from the tournament.

Mansour recently escaped death when his car crashed on his way back to Cairo from his hometown of Meit Ghamr in Dakahlia. Mansour was accompanied by his family.