New president

The appointment of a new board of directors to lead Zamalek club for one year might bring to an end the disputes among the club's previous board members. Inas Mazhar writes

---

By appointing businessman Mamdouh Abbas as the club president, the president of the National Sports Council Hassan Sakr has seemingly put an end to Zamalek's problems.

However, the decision did not stop the club's former president Mortada Mansour from appealing in court for the third time. Mansour was the club's president when former Minister of Youth Mamdouh El-Beltagui dissolved the board and appointed a new board headed by journalist Morsi Attullah. Months later, a court returned Mansour back to his post. Sakr, who replaced Beltagui as president of the newly created National Sports Council, refused to carry out the court order and temporarily suspended Mansour from his post. The board's vice president Raouf Gasser replaced Mansour as the club president until elections. Last week, a new board was selected with Abbas as president.

Abbas is a renowned businessman, former treasurer of the Egyptian Football Association and a former Zamalek board member which was headed by Attullah. The new Zamalek president is expected to be an asset to the club by being able to buy players by paying part of their salaries as part of his contribution to his club.

Abbas, an economics and political science graduate, is married to an engineer and is a father of three. The family have their own business.

During the time Mansour was filing law cases against Sakr, Sakr was firing off counter cases. It was rumoured that Sakr was taking revenge following his failure to win elections as Zamalek's vice president. Sakr denied the allegations. "I'm a sportsman and it's not in my ethics to punish members of the club for not electing me. It has nothing to do with it.

"I'm protecting the club from those who claim to care for the club while they are destroying it. I can't allow it, being a member of the club before being the man in charge of Egyptian sports."

Abbas supported Sakr. "It's not the ethics of either of us. Indeed we all [Zamalek members] should be proud that one of us has become the minister of sports."

In his first press conference since his appointment, Abbas urged the media and club members to give him a three-month grace period before questioning him. He said he has lots of challenges and tasks ahead to rescue the club. "I don't believe in just words; I believe only in action. I'm not a stranger to the club, but one of its old and sincere members," he told reporters.

"My first priorities are the team sports that have shown an obvious deterioration in the past two years because of the disputes within management. I need to solve all the problems of football, basketball, handball, volleyball and table tennis.

"It's strange that the great Zamalek club failed to win any national competition, league or cup, in any of these sports for the past period, though it used to sometimes combine victory in both competitions."

He blamed such failure on the deterioration in management and the elections which he said had created cliques "who fight each other to destroy the club."

Abbas said that he will try to put an end to corruption in the club and will not allow any violence in the club as before. "I will not permit this anymore and will lead the club according to the regulations."

Abbas said he had agreed with his new board to work hard for the coming three months and remove themselves from any former dispute which they are not part of it "in order to be able to work in peace.

"I would like to tell the club's fans that they will feel the difference in the coming period in all sports competitions and in social activities as well. I'm sure that during the coming period the team's spirits will rise higher, they'll regain their confidence and fighting spirit. We will solve all their problems and they will receive any delayed salaries or bonuses. There will be good news in the future for all the club's members and athletes."