Zamalek handed fresh FIFA transfer ban

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Apr 24, 2025. 13:00

FIFA has enforced a new transfer ban on the Egyptian football club Zamalek due to unpaid debts to an undisclosed person, as confirmed in the latest sanctions list released by the world governing body on Wednesday.

While they did not disclose any specifics, media reports came to the conclusion that the FIFA ban was linked by dues owed to former Zamalek coach Jaime Pacheco.

The Portuguese tactician’s contract was terminated during the course of the 2020/21 campaign, thus prompting him to lodge a formal complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ordered Zamalek to pay $880,000.

Zamalek board member Amr Adham disclosed that the transfer ban announced on Wednesday was due to unpaid debts to Moroccan striker Khalid Boutaib, amounting to €983,000.

He noted that the Cairo club had previously paid off a substantial part of Boutaib’s dues, which originally totalled around €2.4 million according to news outlet Ahram.org.

Adham also admitted that Zamalek had not kept up with the recent payment instalments, resulting in FIFA reinstating the transfer ban.

He stressed that the club intends to settle the remaining debt to Boutaib before the summer transfer window for the upcoming season.

This ban related to Boutaib is just the latest in a string of financial issues affecting the Cairo-based team.

Boutaib, now 37, signed with Zamalek in January 2019 from the Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor, after a standout performance for Morocco at the 2018 World Cup.

However, his career at the club was hindered by recurring knee injuries, prompting the then-president to end his three-and-a-half-year contract after only one year.

In May 2023, Zamalek encountered a similar penalty for unpaid wages to a former assistant coach during Jesualdo Ferreira’s tenure, but they managed to resolve this by September 2024, lifting the ban.

Additionally, in September 2021, the club faced a two-window registration ban over unpaid dues to their former head coach, Cristian Gross.

Despite attempts by the new management to settle financial obligations, Zamalek continues to be troubled by ongoing financial disputes.