Zamalek’s fall from grace, a genuine worry or a phase?

Hamza Mathlouthi of Zamalek celebrates goal with teammates during the CAF Confederation Cup 2023/24 Quarterfinals 1st leg Modern Future v Zamalek held at Cairo International Stadium in Cairo , Egypt on 31 March 2024 ©Ayman Aref Saad/BackpagePix

by Staff Reporter

Saturday Apr 06, 2024. 10:00

Egyptian football team Zamalek SC is currently struggling in the Egyptian Premier League as the outfit currently sits at 15th place in the standings.

As a club with rich history and widely considered as an African football giant, it poses the question if there is a real concern for danger.

The Royal Club, a nickname given to Zamalek by its adoring fans, is undergoing a slight “crisis” in the top-flight, and are somewhat flirting with danger as they languish too close for comfort in the relegation zone.

The team has won the CAF Champions League five times, the Egyptian Premier League 14 times, and the Egypt Cup an astounding 28 times. Many have wondered, what went wrong?

Zamalek has undergone a massive overhaul of their squad and released eight players from the team, as they welcomed 10 new signings in the January transfer window to follow squad rules.

Not all hope is lost, the Cairo giants also made it to the Egypt Cup final this season although they fell at the hurdle as they lost 2-0 to long time rivals Al Ahly in March.

According to legendary Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, who is a free agent after parting ways with AS Roma, Zamalek didn’t deserve to lose the match.

Giving his thoughts about the result, Mourinho said: “Without risk-taking from Al Ahly frankly, it’s difficult to say the result was fair, and it was more fair for the game to go to extra time.”

And with Mourinho’s thoughts in mind, perhaps it might not be all bad because Zamalek have also made it to the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals and are set to play the second leg on Sunday, 7 April with a 2-1 lead on aggregate against Modern Future FC.

Their league form might not tell the whole story of Zamalek’s current circumstances as they have shown in other competitions that their capability is still more than present.

34 games are to be played in the Egyptian Premier League before fate is decided, and the season only comes to a close in July. With the White Knights only having played 11, it is way too soon to make assumptions.

Growing pains happen to every football team in the world, there’s no escaping it. Zamalek might very well still be on track to turn things around.