Ayman Mansour: Zamalek defeat was deserved

CAIRO (GoPharaohs.com) - In a statement to the press on Thursday, Zamalek general trainer Ayman Mansour described Zamalek’s defeat against Al-Faisaly and consequent exit from the Arab Champions League as “deserved”.

Mansour placed the blame primarily on the players themselves, citing a lack of focus and seriousness and the inexistence of the will to win. He also dismissed that claim by many media outlets that the strategy was the reason Zamalek performed so poorly.

Zamalek’s board met on Wednesday to give a “vote of confidence” in head coach Henri Michel. Mansour said that Michel cannot take the blame for this loss, at least not primarily, since he arrived on short notice and has been hard at work to try to turn the team around. The board has also provided all the resources the team needs to help provide an atmosphere of stability and support.

Zamalek has temporarily frozen the players’ salaries according to Mansour.

In other news, Zamalek is continuing preparations for their critical match against Ismaily in the Egyptian Premier League scheduled for next Thursday. The two teams are battling for the second-place position in the league table behind Al-Ahly.