Zamalek SC

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Zamalek SC

Full name	Zamalek Sporting Club
Nickname(s)	Nadi Al-Watania W Al-Karama (Patriotism and Dignity Club) [1] Al-Nadi Al-Malaki (The Royal Club) [2] Al-Qalaa Al-Baydaa (The White Castle) Madrasat Al-Fin W Al-Handasa (The School of Art and Engineering) [3] Al-Fares Al-Abyed (The White Knight) Nadi Al-Qarn Al Afreky Al-Haqiqi (The Real African Club of the Century)[4][5]
Short name	ZSC
Founded	5 January 1911; 111 years ago (1911-01-05), as Qasr El Nile Club
Ground	Cairo International Stadium
Capacity	75,000
Chairman	Mortada Mansour
Head Coach	Jesualdo Ferreira
League	Egyptian Premier League
2020–21	Egyptian Premier League, 1st (champions)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Active departments of Zamalek SC
Football Volleyball (Men's) Volleyball (Women's ) Handball (Men's) Handball (Women's) Basketball (Men's) Basketball (Women's) Table tennis (Men's) Table tennis (Women's) Athletics Karate  Swimming   Croquet Judo Field hockey Water polo Gymnastics Tennis

Zamalek Sporting Club (Arabic: نادي الزمالك للألعاب الرياضية), commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an Egyptian sports club based in Cairo. The club is mainly known for its professional football team, which plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the top tier of the Egyptian football league system.^[6]

The club was founded on 5 January 1911 as Qasr El Nile Club and was first headed by the Belgian lawyer George Merzbach. The name was changed two years later to Faiez International Sports Club (F.I.S.C.),^[7] which was colloquially referred to as El Qāhirah El Mokhtalat Club, or El Mokhtalat Club. The club was named in 1941 after King Farouk of Egypt and became known as Farouk El Awal Club (transl. Farouk I Club). After the 1952 Egyptian revolution, the club changed its name to Zamalek.^[8]

Zamalek established itself as the first major force in Egyptian football during the 1920s, as it became the first Egyptian team to win titles. Zamalek was the first Egyptian team to win Sultan Hussein Cup in 1921 and 1922; the first team to win Egypt Cup in 1922;^[9] and the first team to win Cairo League in 1922–23.^[10] It is one of two clubs that have played in every season of the Egyptian Premier League, and one of seven clubs that have never been relegated to the Egyptian Second Division. On the international spotlight it has won five CAF Champions League titles, one CAF Confederation Cup title, four CAF Super Cup titles and one African Cup Winners' Cup title; making it one of the most successful clubs in Africa. It is also the first Egyptian team to ever win the CAF Super Cup when it beat archrival Al Ahly in the 1994 CAF Super Cup. At the international level, Zamalek is the first Egyptian team to participate in and win the Afro-Asian Cup in 1987; and holds the record for most participations (1987, 1994, and 1997), and most titles, after winning it a second time in 1997.

History[]

Early years, Qasr El Nile Club (1911–1913)[]

George Merzbach Bey, the founder and first president of Zamalek SC

Howard Carter, the first vice president of Zamalek SC

Little is known about the very early years of the club. According to historians,^[11][12] the club was established by Belgian lawyer George Merzbach. On the 25 December 1910, Merzbach realized that the Cairo Tramways Company’s guest house hosting the celebration on the Nile banks was suitable as a sports club headquarters while attending the company's Christmas celebration. Merzbach decided to establish a new club for Belgians, Egyptians, and foreigners. At the time, Gezira Sporting Club, the main sporting club in Cairo, was exclusively for the British Army and unavailable for non-British foreigners and Egyptians. For the new club, he chose the name Qasr El Nile (transl. The Nile Palace). He did not have difficulties in establishing the club, as he enjoyed strong ties within the Palace of Khedive Abbas II, as well as many friendships with senior officials of Egyptian society. He was also the private lawyer for both Baron Empain and the Cairo Tramways Company. On 5 January 1911 the club was established, and it was officially opened on February 6 of the same year.

The first board of directors consisted of Merzbach as president, archaeologist Howard Carter as vice president, and Noah Amin Abdullah, Ahmed Mahmoud Azzam, Khoury Chalhoub (Lebanese, Representative of the Cairo Tramways Company), and Paolo Esposito (Italian, Representative of the Khedivial Palace) as board members. It was the first club in Cairo to emerge from non-English expatriate communities. They formed sports and social clubs, each with its own identity.^[13] An essential aspect of the club was that it was for all people and not for any specific social, economic, or ethnic community. It started out and continued through World War I under Merzbach's presidency.

Faiez International Sports Club (F.I.S.C.), El Mokhtalat Club (1913–1941)[]

Zamalek SC team that won the first Egypt Cup in 1921

In 1913, the club moved to what is currently known as the High Court and changed its name to Cairo International Sports Club (C.I.S.C.), colloquially referred to as the El Qāhirah El Mokhtalat Club or El Mokhtalat Club. The second president of the club was Nicolas Arfagi Bianchi, who played as a left winger for the club's football team. In 1915, Ibrahim Allam "Juhainah" moved to the club with his football team, coming from EL Sekka EL Hadid SC. In 1917, Zamalek had the legacy of participating as the first and only Egyptian football club in Sultan Hussein Cup, the first official football competition in Egypt. Zamalek played great matches and reached the final match against the English GHQ Signals team, the first champion of the competition. The championship was managed by the Egyptian Ibrahim Allam and was organized under the auspices of the Sultan of Egypt Hussein Kamel. After Zamalek's historic first season, many Egyptian cubs announced their desire to participate in the competition as they found it serious, official, bearing the name of the country's sultan, and includes a trophy for the winning team.^[14] Also in 1917, Ibrahim Allam and the Egyptian members of the club began their revolution to nationalize the club and remove the foreigners from the club's board of directors which mainly consisted of members of the Belgian and French communities. It started with informing the authorities that the club did not have a general assembly for 3 years, the club records are illegally kept with the club secretary, and have not been legally audited. Allam also put the club under the protection of 17-20 men from Bulaq, to preserve it and protect its Egyptian members. The Ministry of the Interior and some foreign embassies in Cairo interfered, but non-Egyptians were not allowed to enter the club. Finally Allam agreed to turn in the club to Mr. Bianchi in the presence of an official force from the police. The Egyptian members realized that it was important to gain a majority at the general members meeting. Accordingly, Allam and the Egyptian members called for an extraordinary general assembly for the club at Al-Shawarby Street. A decision was made by the general assembly to withdraw confidence from the club's foreign board of directors and elect a new Egyptian board of directors. When the elections were held, the first Egyptian board was elected with Mohammad Badr as president, Mostafa Hassan as treasurer, Ibrahim Allam as General Secretary, and Nicola Arkaji, Mahmoud Bassyouni, Hussein Fawzy, and Abdo El Jabalawy as board members. After the first board, a new saif in 1923 was formed with Mohamed Heidar as president and Youssef Mohamad as secretary. The new board of directors held its first meeting and decided to continue the fight. They informed the authorities of the missing club records. As a result, no general members' meetings were held for the next few years and later, Mr. Shoudoi, the Belgian club secretary was summoned and agreed to turn in the club records.

Dr. Mohamed Badr, the first Egyptian president of the Zamalek SC, after a long struggle with Mr. Bianchi, the head of the French community in Cairo, to restore the club to the Egyptians

Around that time Zamalek received the moniker "Qahir-al-Aganib" (the conqueror of foreigners) due to their many wins against renowned foreign teams.^[15] In 1921, Zamalek won the Sultan Hussein Cup, becoming the first Egyptian team to ever win a title, after its victory over Britain's Sherwood Foresters (2–1). In 1922, Zamalek won the first Egyptian Cup and two weeks later won the Sultan Hussein Cup for the second time. Also in 1922, the Cairo Region League was launched, and the club won twice (1922 and 1940).In the winter of 1924, the club moved to a location on the west bank of the River Nile, and west of Gezira island, and became known as the Cairo International Sports Club (C.I.S.C.)-Zamalek.^[16] The 1924 location is occupied by El Balloon Theater today. Among the impressive results during that period was the famous victories against Al Ahly 6-0 which happened twice; in 1940 and 1942.

Zamalek football team in 1939

Farouk El Awal Club (1941–1952)[]

His Majesty Farouk I, the Honorary President of Zamalek SC

Farouk I Prince of Egypt handing the Egypt Cup to Zamalek SC football team

In the 1940s, Zamalek won the King's Cup, and the Cairo Region League Championship in its 1940–41 season. After a year, Zamalek lost the final of the cup to Al-Ahly. In 1941, Farouk I, King of Egypt and Sudan, bestowed the royal sponsorship on the club, and the club name was renamed to Nady Farouk El Awal (transl. Farouk I Club). Ismail Bak Shirin of Mohammed Ali's family took the post of vice president.^[17][18][19] This period witnessed the biggest victories in the history of the Cairo derby (contested with Al Ahly), a pair of 6–0 wins for Zamalek in 1941–42 and 1943–1944.This record scoreline in the Cairo derby has not been broken since then.^[20]

Zamalek Sporting Club and the post-1952 period (1952–1960)[]

Zamalek SC football team in the 1950–1951 season

After the army coup in 1952, the club was renamed Zamalek after the area where the club was situated. The club later moved for the last time to 26 July Street, and occupied an area of 35 acres (140,000 m²) and hosted 24 different sports. A new board was formed with Mohammad Shawky as president and secretary and Mohammad Hassan Helmy as assistant secretary. At the time, the rules required that half the club board be changed every year, and Helmy took the position of secretary-general. In 1954, the stadium needed renovations, so the board sought a businessman to take over the club and guide the renovation. Abd El Hamid El Shawarbi became the president, and although he was elected for a second period, he was not able to do the job he wanted. Heidar Pasha and Haj Sayed El Annany contributed to forming the VIP stands and the first-class stands, which happened while El Shawarbi was outside Egypt. When he returned, he resigned and the board continued after Shawky stepped up from his deputy position to continue till September 1955. Businessman Abd El Latif Abo Regeila became the club president in 1956; by then, the rules had been changed allowing the board to stay for three years. Shawky stepped down for Regeila, although he was re-elected as a club president. Although Regeila was re-elected for a second term, he had to leave Egypt after he lost money from the governmental policy against private property. The club continued to search for another businessman, and chose Alwe El Gazzar, the owner of El Sheikh Sherieb Company and the president of the board of the Coca-Cola Company at this time. ^{[21] [22][23][24]}

First league championship and the start of local glittering (1960–1983)[]

Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha

Regeila was an Egyptian businessman and pioneer of public transport buses in Cairo. During his reign, the construction of the Zamalek Stadium was established, as well as the social building continued as the club's official president until 1961. In 1961, Zamalek paid Real Madrid to play against Zamalek.

Hamada Emam and Hazem Emam Legends of Zamalek football team

Hamada Emam was a popular player on the club who helped raise the club's profile.^[25] In 1962, there was a new board with Hassan Amer as a president, emeritus deputy Shawky, Mohammad Lateef, Galal Kereitam, Mahmoud Emam, and Mahmoud Hafez. Amer stayed as president until the Egyptian army's defeat in 1967.

Hassan Shehata in 1975

After the Egyptian army's defeat in the 1967 Six Day War Zamalek hosted Ismaily SC and Al Masry SC clubs, as well as the other Suez Canal teams at its grounds.^[26]

Zamalek Football team in 1969

In 1967, Minister of Youth and Sports Talat Khairy decided that the club boards would be appointed rather than elected, and Helmy took the presidency^[27] and was the first Egyptian sportsman in Egypt to become a president of a club. He remained as president until July 1971 where the rules were changed to allow board elections again and to forbid anyone from being president if they had already held to presidency for two consecutive terms. Tawfeek El Kheshen took over the presidency and the honorary presidency was given to Helmy.The 1970s generation was one of the best generations of football in Zamalek, and it included legendary players in the history of Egyptian and Arab football.

Zamalek SC in 1977

In 1973, Helmy was elected president and stayed as the head of the board till 1984.

Zamalek won the Egyptian Premier League in its 1959–60 season. Zamalek won the Egyptian Premier League five times (1959–60, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1977–78, and 1983–84) and the Egyptian Cup in 1960, 1962, 1975, 1977, and 1979. The club also won the October Cup, which is the tournament that was held as an alternative to the Egyptian Premier League because of Egypt hosting the 1974 African Nations Cup.^[28]

African Uprising (1984–2004)[]

Zamalek won the first African title against Nigeria's Shooting Stars after beating them in Cairo (2–0) and in Nigeria (0–1).

Zamalek SC won the first African title CAF Champions League in 1984

In 1984, Amer became president, followed by Hasan Abo el Fetouh in 1988. In 1990, Galal Ibrahim became the temporary president of the club after Fetouh died until September 1990, when the general club meeting was held and Mohamad Nour El Daly was elected president. In 1992, Galal Ibrahim became the new president. The club's president from 1992 to 1996 was Jalal Ibrahim, and the rules were changed to require that the vice treasurer be selected mostly by the board members; Hamada Emam was selected by default to that position while Abdel Hamid Shaheen was elected treasurer. The board members were Ahmed Shereen Fawzy, Mahmoud Marouf, Mohamad Fayez El Zummur, Raouf Gaser, and Tarek Ghonaim. The new rules required the board to have two members under the age of 30; for these two spots, Samy Abo El Kheir and Ihab Ibrahim were elected. The members appointed by the high committee for youth and sports were Mohamad Amer, General Hanafy Reyad, and Farouk Abo El Nasr.

In 1993, Zamalek won the CAF Champions League. By 1994, Shaheen was not able to continue his duties due to his sickness, but the board chose to keep him in the position in honor of his devotion to the club, and Farouk Abo El Nasr was appointed to take over his duties while Shaheen stayed in his position. In 1995, four members in the board were removed due to their six absences from board meetings: Mahmoud Marouf, Mohamad Fayez El Zummur, and Amer. They were replaced with Mortada Mansour, Mahmoud Abdallah, Mounnir Hassan, and Ibrahim Latif. The high committee for youth and sports objected on linking the appointed members with the elected ones, so Hassan and Ibrahim Latif forfeited their positions. The newly two appointed members for the club board were Amer and El Nasr in support of their abilities and dedication. Fawzy was selected to be treasurer till the new elections. On 4 July, Abd El Menem Emarah decided to release the club board and the Egyptian Football Federation board after the game between Al-Ahly and Zamalek in 1995–96, and the board froze football activities in the club. A one-year temporary club board was selected with Kamal Darweesh as president, Abd EL Aziz Kabil as vice president, and board members Hanafy Reyad, Magdy Sharaf, Ismail Selim, Azmy Megahed, and Mohamad Abd El Rahman Fawzy. Accountant Mahmoud Badr El Deen was appointed as treasurer.

Kamal Darwish's Era[]

Dr. Kamal Darwish

Kamal Darwish was the president of Zamalek club for two terms from 1996 to 2005. Zamalek won 16 football championships during his reign, but overall he achieved 1186 championships in 24 games and he assumed the chairmanship of the Board of Directors in 2013 on a temporary board for the second time. He is the president with the most achievements in the history of Zamalek.^[29]

In 2000, there was a friendly match between Zamalek and Palestine national football team in Gaza after breaking the Zionist siege. Zamalek was named the best club in the world by the IFFHS in February 2003. It was also the first Egyptian team to qualify for the 2001 FIFA Club World Cup in Spain, though that competition did not happen because of funding problems. Zamalek won the African Champions League in 2002, two African Super Cups in 1996 and 2003, and the first two championships in the Egyptian Super Cup in 2001 and 2002. Zamalek FC is the only team to achieve seven championships between the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, surpassing FC Barcelona, who won six championships in one year.

Zamalek also won the Egyptian Premier League three times (2000–01, 2002–03 and 2003–04), and the Egypt Cup in 1999 and 2002.^[30][31]

Regression (2005–2013)[]

In 2005, many boards were dismissed by the Minister of Sport, which led to organizational uncertainty from 2005 to 2013, and changed the form of competition in Egypt for years. The football team only won two championships: the Egypt Cup in 2008 and 2013. The level of Zamalek continued to decline, and its administration destabilized since Mortada Mansour assumed the presidency of the club in 2005. The council did not last long and was dissolved, and a council headed by Morsi Atallah came to run the club before Mansour returned to head the council. Mansour dissolved the board of directors before restoring it, and the National Sports Council intervened to appoint a council headed by Muhammad Amir for a year before elections were held in May 2009, which resulted in the election of Mamdouh Abbas as the club's president; Abbas' council was dissolved in 2010 after Mansour obtained a court ruling stating that the elections were rigged. The administrative authority appointed an interim council to manage the club headed by Jalal Ibrahim, before Abbas' council returned when Mansour abandoned his lawsuit. Taher Abu Zaid disbanded Abbas' council, and formed an interim council headed by Kamal Darwish to head Zamalek, but by appointment.And Mahmoud Shikabala was one of the most prominent talents in the history of Egyptian football, who carried the banner of Zamalek and preserved the popularity of Zamalek in that difficult period. ^[32]

Reconstruction and reform[]

Mortada Mansour's era (2014–2020; 2021–present)[]

Zamalek Sporting Club headquarters in 2015

zamalek and rs berkane squad in 2019 final

In 2014, Mortada Mansour took over the club. Zamalek won the Egypt Cup in 2014 against Smouha (1–0). In the next season 2014–15 season, Zamalek won the Egyptian Premier League, and broke the record in obtaining the largest number of points in the league. The team won the Egypt Cup championship at the end of the year against Al-Ahly team (2–0), and reached the semifinals of the African CAF Confederation Cup in 2015. ^[33] In 2016, Zamalek reached the finals in the CAF Champions League and won the Egypt Cup and the Egypt Super Cup. In 2018, the Zamalek football team won the Egypt Cup again. In 2019 Zamalek won the CAF Confederation Cup,^[34] the Egypt Cup, the Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup, the Egypt Super Cup, and the CAF Super Cup. Since 2014, the football team won 11 championships, the last of which was the Egyptian Super Cup and the African Super Cup that were achieved in the span of one week.^[35][36] Mansour announced that "The trademark 'Real Football Club of the Century' is registered in the Ministry of Supply and Trade in Egypt."^[37] Zamalek sent a complaint to the Egyptian Football Association in preparation for escalating the case of the Century Club to FIFA and the International Sports Court.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports suspended Zamalek's board of directors due to financial violations on Sunday 29 November 2020. The Egyptian Ministry of Sports and Youth named Emad Abdel-Aziz as Zamalek's new president to succeed Ahmed Bakry, who died due to COVID-19.^[38] Then Hussein Labib has been appointed the new Zamalek president of normalization committee.^[39]

On 22 November 2021, Mansour and his board of directors officially returned back to Zamalek SC management, following the departure of the normalization committee until the club's elections.^[40] On 12 February 2022, Mansour became the president of Zamalek club for the third time, after the elections held by the club through the general assembly.^[41]

Names[]

• Qasr El Nile Club (The Nile Palace) (1911–1913)
• Faiez International Sports Club (C.I.S.C.), a.k.a. El Mokhtalat Club (Mixed Courts) (1913–1941)
• Farouk El Awal Club (Farouk I Club) (1941–1952)
• Zamalek Sporting Club (1952–Present)

The word Zamalek is of Turkish origin and comes from when Muhammad Ali, the ruler of Egypt in the first half of the nineteenth century, established camps for the leaders of the Ottoman Army on the island in the Nile.^[42]

Crest and colors[]

• 

  1941–1952

In 1941, the royal emblem of the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan was the official emblem of the club at the time; when the club's name changed from "Mixed Club" to "Farouk Club" by royal order from Farouk I. After the revolution on the royal rule in Egypt, the club's name and logo changed after the revolution of July 23, 1952; the logo became a mixture of the sporting model and the ancient Egyptian civilization. The logo's main colors express peace and struggle and have not changed since its establishment.The home jersey uses the original Zamalek colours.^[43] In the upper half of the logo, the arrow that points towards the target appears in a pharaonic uniform as an indication of the common goal between it and Zamalek.^[44]

Zamalek is famous for the stability of its basic colors, which have not changed throughout the club's history, which extends since 1911, as it is distinguished by the white dress with two parallel red lines in the middle. The team shirt is displayed on the chest, and the color symbolizes.

Kits[]

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zamalek SC kits.

Kit evolution[]

Classic

1984

1992–1993

1994–1995

1996–1997

1997–1998

2000–2001

2002–2003

2005–2007

2008–2010

2011–2012

2012–2015

2015–2016

2016–2017

2017–2018

2018–2019

2019–present

Source:^[46]

Grounds[]

Cairo International Stadium[]

Panorama view of Cairo International Stadium

The club does not have a home ground. Their old stadium, Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stadium was not suitable for hosting the first team's official matches due to its limited capacity, its central downtown location, and need for renovations. The players train in Abdel-Latif Abo Regeila but play their home matches in Cairo International Stadium for local matches and continental matches.^[47][48][49]

Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stadium[]

Mohammed Hassan Helmy "Zamora" Stadium, before changing its name to Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stadium, and demolishing the stadium's stands

Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stadium, formerly known as Zamalek Stadium, then Mohammed Hassan Helmy "Zamora" Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in Cairo, Egypt. The stadium was initially named in honor of Helmy. It was renamed in 2014 to Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha Stadium after the former president of Zamalek, Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha. It is mostly used for football matches and was the home of Zamalek before they moved to Cairo International Stadium because of its small capacity. The stadium could hold 40,000 spectators before the capacity was reduced to 20,000 .^[50][51][52]

Supporters[]

Zamalek has an ultras group named the Ultras White Knights that was founded on 17 March 2007 and is known for its pyrotechnic displays. Their motto is "Brotherhood in blood and fans of the free public Club". They were involved in clashes on 8 February 2015 before the league match between Zamalek and ENPI Club at the Cairo Air Defense Stadium, where 20 people were killed.^[53]

Stadiums Disasters[]

Helmy Zamora Stadium disaster 1974

Helmy Zamora Stadium disaster 1974[]

At least 48 people died in a stampede at a friendly game against Czechoslovak club Dukla Prague at the Helmy Zamora Stadium in 1974.^[54]

30 June Stadium stampede 2015[]

On 8 February 2015, 20 supporters were killed by policemen outside the 30 June Stadium.^{[55][56][57][58][59][60]}

Club of the Century[]

In February 2014 administration of Zamalek announced the nickname of the club as the Club of the Century, as the most successful club of the 20th century in Africa (gaining 9 titles versus 7 for its closest rival).

CAF ranking of African Clubs titles at the end of 20th century[]

Zamalek SC is the most crowned continental championship in Africa in the twentieth century

Pos	Club	Titles	Trophies won
1	Zamalek	7 (+2)	4 African Cup of Champions Clubs, 1 CAF Cup Winners' Cup, 2 CAF Super Cup, (2 Afro-Asian Club Championship)
2	Al-Ahly	6 (+1)	2 African Cup of Champions Clubs, 4 CAF Cup Winners' Cups, (1 Afro-Asian Club Championship)
3	ES Tunis	4 (+1)	1 African Cup of Champions Clubs; 1 CAF Cup Winners' Cup, 1 CAF Cup, 1 CAF Super Cup, (1 Afro-Asian Club Championship)
	Raja Casablanca	4 (+1)	3 African Cup of Champions Clubs, 1 CAF Super Cup, (1 Afro-Asian Club Championship)
	Canon Yaoundé	4	3 African Cup of Champions Clubs, 1 CAF Cup Winners' Cup
	JS Kabylie	4	2 African Cup of Champions Clubs, 1 CAF Cup Winners' Cup, 1 CAF Cup

Performance in CAF Competitions[]

• PR = Preliminary round
• FR = First round
• SR = Second round
• PO = Play-off round
• QF = Quarter-final
• SF = Semi-final

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1976	African Cup Winners' Cup	FR	Libya	Al Ahli Tripoli	3–0	1–2	4–2
		QF	Ethiopia	Mechal	6–0	0–2	6–2
		SF	Nigeria	Shooting Stars	2–0	0–2	2–2 (3–5 p)
1978	African Cup Winners' Cup	FR	Sudan	Al Hilal	1–1	2–1	3–2
		QF	Upper Volta	RC Kadiogo	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
1979	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Uganda	Simba	2–1	w/o	w/o[a]
		SR	Ethiopia	Ogaden Anbassa	w/o[b]
		QF	Zaire	CS Imana	3–1	w/o	w/o[c]
1981	African Cup Winners' Cup	FR	Somalia	Lavori Publici	w/o[d]
1984	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Tunisia	CS Sfaxien	3–0	1–1	4–1
		SR	Kenya	Gor Mahia	w/o[e]
		QF	Zambia	Nkana Red Devils	5–1	1–1	6–2
		SF	Algeria	JE Tizi Ouzou	3–0	1–3	4–3
		Final	Nigeria	Shooting Stars	2–0	1–0	3–0
1985	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Somalia	Marine Club	w/o[f]
		SR	Sudan	Al Hilal	4–0	1–1	5–1
		QF	Burundi	Vital'O	5–2	0–1	5–3
		SF	Morocco	FAR Rabat	1–0	0–1	1–1 (3–4 p)
1986	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Rwanda	Panthères Noires	5–1	1–1	6–2
		SR	Zimbabwe	Dynamos	2–1	2–0	4–1
		QF	Burundi	AS Inter Star	3–0	0–1	3–1
		SF	Cameroon	Canon Yaoundé	2–0	1–2	3–2
		Final	Ivory Coast	Africa Sports	2–0	0–2	2–2 (4–2 p)
1987	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Equatorial Guinea	Juvenil Reyes	w/o[g]
		SR	Zambia	Nkana Red Devils	2–0	0–1	2–1
		QF	Ghana	Asante Kotoko	2–0	1–5	3–5
1989	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Sudan	Al Mourada	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
1993	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Tanzania	Malindi	4–0	1–0	5–0
		SR	South Africa	Kaizer Chiefs	1–0	1–2	2–2 (a)
		QF	Algeria	MC Oran	4–0	1–1	5–1
		SF	Nigeria	Stationery Stores	3–1	0–1	3–2
		Final	Ghana	Asante Kotoko	0–0	0–0	0–0 (7–6 p)
1994	CAF Super Cup	Final	Egypt	Al Ahly	1–0
1994	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Uganda	Express	w/o[h]
		SR	Kenya	Gor Mahia	2–1	1–1	3–2
		QF	Gabon	AS Sogara	1–0	2–2	3–2
		SF	Zambia	Nkana	2–0	0–1	2–1
		Final	Tunisia	Espérance de Tunis	0–0	1–3	1–3
1996	African Cup of Champions Clubs	FR	Mauritius	Sunrise Flacq United	3–1	1–2	4–3
		SR	Mozambique	Desportivo Maputo	w/o[i]
		QF	Morocco	COD Meknès	2–0	2–2	4–2
		SF	Tunisia	CS Sfaxien	1–0	0–1	1–1 (4–3 p)
		Final	Nigeria	Shooting Stars	2–1	1–2	3–3 (5–4 p)
1997	CAF Super Cup	Final	Egypt	Al Mokawloon Al Arab	0–0 (4–2 p)
1997	CAF Champions League	FR	Ethiopia	Saint George	2–0	1–1	3–1
		SR	Zambia	Mufulira Wanderers	5–2	1–0	6–2
		Group B	Mozambique	Ferroviário Maputo	2–1	0–2	2nd
			Tunisia	Club Africain	2–0	0–2
			Ghana	Obuasi Goldfields	2–0	1–3
1998	CAF Cup	FR	Kenya	Gor Mahia	4–0	0–1	4–1
		SR	Sudan	Al Hilal	0–0	0–1	0–1
1999	CAF Cup	FR	Burundi		w/o[j]
		SR	Réunion	US Stade Tamponnaise	3–0	0–0	3–0
		QF	Nigeria	Kwara United	4–0	1–2	5–2
		SF	Tunisia	Étoile du Sahel	3–1	0–2	3–3 (a)
2000	African Cup Winners' Cup	FR	Tanzania	Young Africans	4–0	1–1	5–1
		SR	Ethiopia	Ethiopian Coffee	2–1	1–2	3–3 (4–2 p)
		QF	Senegal	ASEC Ndiambour	3–1	0–1	3–2
		SF	Réunion	SS Saint-Louisienne	2–0	0–0	2–0
		Final	Cameroon	Canon Yaoundé	4–1	0–2	4–3
2001	CAF Super Cup	Final	Ghana	Hearts of Oak	0–2
2001	African Cup Winners' Cup	FR	Sudan	Al Hilal	1–0	1–0	2–0
		SR	Zambia	Nkana	2–0	2–2	4–2
		QF	Tunisia	Club Africain	1–0	1–3	2–3
2002	CAF Champions League	FR	Rwanda	APR	6–0	0–0	6–0
		SR	Zambia	Nkana	2–0	1–1	3–1
		Group B	Ivory Coast	ASEC Mimosas	3–1	0–1	1st
			Mozambique	Costa do Sol	3–0	2–0
			Tunisia	Espérance de Tunis	1–0	1–1
		SF	DR Congo	TP Mazembe	2–0	1–1	3–1
		Final	Morocco	Raja Casablanca	1–0	0–0	1–0
2003	CAF Super Cup	Final	Morocco	Wydad Casablanca	3–1
2003	CAF Champions League	FR	Kenya	Nzoia Sugar	3–0	4–1	7–1
		SR	Tanzania	Simba	1–0	0–1	1–1 (2–3 p)
2004	CAF Champions League	FR	Rwanda	APR	3–2	1–4	4–6
2005	CAF Champions League	FR	Kenya	Tusker	3–1	1–0	4–1
		SR	Angola	ASA	2–0	1–1	3–1
		Group B	Ivory Coast	ASEC Mimosas	2–1	1–1	2nd
			Tunisia	Étoile du Sahel	1–1	1–2
			Tunisia	Espérance de Tunis	1–1	2–1
		SF	Egypt	Al Ahly	1–2	0–2	1–4
2007	CAF Champions League	PR	Burundi	Vital'O	4–1	1–0	5–1
		FR	Sudan	Al Hilal	2–2	0–2	2–4
2008	CAF Champions League	PR	Rwanda	APR	2–0	2–1	4–0
		FR	Ivory Coast	Africa Sports	2–0	0–2	2–2 (5–4 p)
		SR	Angola	Inter de Luanda	3–0	1–2	4–2
		Group A	Egypt	Al Ahly	2–2	1–2	4th
			Zimbabwe	Dynamos	1–0	0–1
			Ivory Coast	ASEC Mimosas	0–0	0–3
2011	CAF Champions League	PR	Kenya	Ulinzi Stars	1–0	4–0	5–0
		FR	Tunisia	Club Africain	w/o	2–4	w/o[k]
2012	CAF Champions League	PR	Tanzania	Young Africans	1–0	1–1	2–1
		FR	Ivory Coast	Africa Sports	1–0	1–2	2–2 (a)
		SR	Morocco	MAS Fez	2–0	2–0	4–0
		Group B	Ghana	Berekum Chelsea	1–1	2–3	4th
			Egypt	Al Ahly	0–1	1–1
			DR Congo	TP Mazembe	1–2	0–2
2013	CAF Champions League	PR	Chad	Gazelle	7–0	0–0	7–0
		FR	DR Congo	AS Vita Club	1–0	0–0	1–0
		SR	Ethiopia	Saint George	1–1	2–2	3–3 (a)
		Group B	South Africa	Orlando Pirates	2–1	1–4	3rd
			Congo	AC Léopards	4–1	0–1
			Egypt	Al Ahly	1–1	2–4
2014	CAF Champions League	PR	Niger	AS Douanes Niamey	2–0	1–0	3–0
		FR	Angola	Kabuscorp	1–0	0–0	1–0
		SR	Zambia	Nkana	5–0	0–0	5–0
		Group A	Sudan	Al Hilal	2–1	1–2	4th
			DR Congo	TP Mazembe	0–0	0–1
			DR Congo	AS Vita Club	0–1	0–1
2015	CAF Confederation Cup	FR	Rwanda	Rayon Sports	3–1	3–0	6–1
		SR	Morocco	FUS Rabat	0–0	3–2	3–2
		PO	DR Congo	SM Sanga Balende	3–1	0–1	3–2
		Group B	Congo	AC Léopards	2–0	0–1	1st
			South Africa	Orlando Pirates	4–1	2–1
			Tunisia	CS Sfaxien	1–0	3–1
		SF	Tunisia	Étoile du Sahel	3–0	1–5	4–5
2016	CAF Champions League	FR	Cameroon	Union Douala	2–0	1–0	3–0
		SR	Algeria	MO Béjaïa	2–0	1–1	3–1
		Group B	Algeria	ES Sétif	w/o[l]		2nd
			South Africa	Mamelodi Sundowns	1–2	0–1
			Nigeria	Enyimba	1–0	1–0
		SF	Morocco	Wydad Casablanca	4–0	2–5	6–5
		Final	South Africa	Mamelodi Sundowns	1–0	0–3	1–3
2017	CAF Champions League	FR	Nigeria	Enugu Rangers	4–1	1–2	5–3
		Group B	Algeria	USM Alger	1–1	0–2	3rd
			Libya	Al Ahli Tripoli	2–2	0–0
			Zimbabwe	CAPS United	2–0	1–3
2018	CAF Confederation Cup	FR	Ethiopia	Wolaitta Dicha	2–1	1–2	3–3 (3–4 p)
2018–19	CAF Confederation Cup	FR	Chad	AS CotonTchad	7–0	0–2	7–2
		PO	Morocco	Ittihad Tanger	3–1	0–0	3–1
		Group D	Kenya	Gor Mahia	4–0	2–4	1st
			Algeria	NA Hussein Dey	1–1	0–0
			Angola	Petro de Luanda	1–1	1–0
		QF	Morocco	Hassania Agadir	1–0	0–0	1–0
		SF	Tunisia	Étoile du Sahel	1–0	0–0	1–0
		Final	Morocco	RS Berkane	1–0	0–1	1–1 (5–3 p)
2019–20	CAF Super Cup	Final	Tunisia	Espérance de Tunis	3–1
2019–20	CAF Champions League	PR	Somalia	Dekedaha	6–0	7–0	13–0
		FR	Senegal	Génération Foot	1–0	1–2	2–2 (a)
		Group A	Angola	1º de Agosto	2–0	0–0	2nd
			DR Congo	TP Mazembe	0–0	0–3
			Zambia	ZESCO United	2–0	1–1
		QF	Tunisia	Espérance de Tunis	3–1	0–1	3–2
		SF	Morocco	Raja Casablanca	3–1	1–0	4–1
		Final	Egypt	Al Ahly	1–2
2020–21	CAF Champions League	FR	Chad	Gazelle	w/o[m]
		Group D	Tunisia	Espérance de Tunis	0–1	1–3	3rd
			Algeria	MC Alger	0–0	2–0
			Senegal	Teungueth	4–1	0–0
2021–22	CAF Champions League	SR	Kenya	Tusker	4–0	1–0	5–0
		Group D	Morocco	Wydad Casablanca		1–3
			Angola	Petro de Luanda	2–2
			Angola	Sagrada Esperança		0–0

Notes

Statistics and records[]

Appearances[]

Name	Years	League	Cup	Super Cup	African	Arab	Total
Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed	1997–2014	264 (-213)	40 (-31)	4 (-6)	88 (-28)	27 (-21)	423   (-353)
Abdel Halim Ali	1999–2009	219 (80)	27 (18)	3 (0)	58 (23)	32 (13)	339   (134)
Tarek El-Sayed	1995–2008	207 (19)	23 (2)	2 (0)	56 (5)	35 (0)	323   (26)
Mohamed Aboul Ela	1999–2009	144 (9)	27 (0)	3 (0)	51 (1)	23 (1)	248   (11)
Besheer El-Tabei	1997–2004 2007–2008	146 (9)	21 (0)	2 (0)	42 (0)	22 (2)	323   (11)

Source:^[63]

Goalscorers[]

• Most goals scored in all competitions: 138 – Abdel Halim Ali^[64]
• Most goals scored in the League: 80 – Abdel Halim Ali^[65]
• Most goals scored in October League Cup: 9 – Hassan Shehata^[66]
• Most goals scored in Egypt Cup: 23 – Alaa El-Hamouly^[67]
• Most goals scored in all African competitions: 23 – Abdel Halim Ali^[68]
• Most goals scored in all Arabian competitions: 13 – Abdel Halim Ali^[69]

Awards winners[]

African Footballer of The Year

The following players won African Footballer of the Year while playing for Zamalek:

• Emmanuel Amuneke – 1994

Matches[]

• First League match: Farouk (Zamalek) 5–1 El-Masry, Week 1, 22 October 1948.^[70]
• First Egypt Cup match: Mokhtalat (Zamalek) 4–0 Tersana SC, first round, 3 March 1922.^[71]
• First African Cup Winners' Cup match: Zamalek 3–0 Al Ahly (Tripoli), first round, 7 May 1976.^[72]
• First CAF Champions League match: Zamalek 2–1 Simba S.C., first round, 16 March 1979.^[73]
• First CAF Cup match: Zamalek 0–1 Gor Mahia, first round, 21 March 1998.^[74]
• First CAF Confederation Cup match: Rayon Sports 3–1, 2nd round, 15 March 2015.^[75]
• Longest Winning Streak: 10 matches (2012/2013).
• Longest Clean sheet: 7 matches (2014–15 Egyptian Premier League).
• Longest Unbeaten Streak in Egypt Cup (Egyptian Record): 22 matches (2013–2017).
• Longest Unbeaten Home Streak in African Cups (African Record): 70 matches (1976–2005).

Individual[]

League[]

• Ayman Younes scored the fastest goal in 1990 against Souss after 13 seconds.
• Mohamed Amin scored the first goal in the Egyptian League against El Masry.
• Saad Rostom scored the first hat trick for Zamalek in the league against El Masry.

The following players have won the top scorer award in the league while playing with Zamalek:

Season	Player	Goals
1956–57	Alaa El-Hamouly	16
1960–61	Ali Mohsen	16
1976–77	Ali Khalil	17
	Hassan Shehata
1978–79	Ali Khalil	12
1979–80	Hassan Shehata	14
1987–88	Gamal Abdul Hamid	11
1997–98	Abdul Hamid Bassiouny	15
2000–01	Tarek El-Said	13
2001–02	Hossam Hassan	18
2003–04	Abdel Halim Ali	21
2010–11	Shikabala	13

Cup[]

• Hussein Yasser scored the fastest goal in the cup against Al Ahly in 2010 after 46 seconds.

Rivalries[]

Cairo Derby[]

The Cairo Derby is a football match between Zamalek and Al Ahly. The derby is played twice each season with two matches in the Egyptian Premier League, but it is not uncommon to find the teams meeting each other in the Egypt Cup, especially in the finals, and in the CAF Champions League.^[76][77]

Mit Okba Derby[]

The Mit Okba derby is a football match between Zamalek and Tersana SC. Both teams are located in the Mit Okba region in Giza. The derby was one of the most important matches of the Egyptian Premier League during the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, but it gradually lost its value after Tersana SC's performance started to deteriorate and the club has been relegated more than once to the Egyptian Second Division where it currently plays after being relegated for the sixth time in the 2008–09 season.^[78]

North Africa Derby[]

The North Africa Derby is usually played between teams from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, such as the Zamalek SC Derby, the Tunisian Espérance Sportive de Tunis, the Club Africain Tunisian, the Tunisian Étoile Sportive du Sahel, Zamalek SC, the Moroccan Raja Casablanca, the Moroccan Wydad AC, the Algerian JS Kabylie, and MC Alger.^[79]

Finances and ownership[]

In 2018, Presentation Sports obtained a contract that increased from 100 million Egyptian pounds to 120 million annually to sponsor the club increased This increase in the sponsorship contract will be other than 20% over the amount mentioned in each year including broadcasting rights.^[80]

The financial cost of the new team uniform reached 9 million Egyptian pounds.^[81]

The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Egypt signed a contract with Zamalek's management to rent three stores in the club wall on the League of Arab States Street with a usufruct for 25 years, with a rent for two years in advance. Zamalek Club signed a cooperation protocol with Banque Misr, from which it obtains immediate returns of 10 million pounds under the protocol. In return, Banque Misr has the right to use two local walls of the Zamalek Club wall for 20 years in exchange for 5 million pounds and an annual rent of 1.560 million pounds.^[82][83]

The report of the Controller at the Zamalek Club revealed that the budget surplus for the fiscal year 2018–2019 reached 170 million Egyptian pounds.^[84]

The temporary committee that runs the Zamalek club has signed a cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Military Production (Egypt) for a construction and sports boom. Imad Abdel Aziz, head of the temporary committee at Zamalek Club, stated that this protocol will contribute to building the 6th of October branch.^[85]

Zamalek Club and Aerosport Sports Club of the Ministry of Civil Aviation signed a protocol of joint cooperation aimed at benefiting from the expertise of Zamalek.^[86]

Zamalek SC has signed a cooperation protocol with the “I-Friends Sports” company, to establish a branch of the club in the United Arab Emirates.^[87]

Popular culture[]

Zamalek TV[]

Zamalek Club owns a TV channel known as Zamalek TV, which broadcasts on Nilesat in SD quality. The broadcast began experimentally on 31 December 2019 before the channel launched on 22 January 2020. The channel focuses on news about the club.^[88][89]

Zamalek Magazine[]

Zamalek SC Magazine is an official Zamalek weekly magazine that is issued every Thursday, and contains news and reviews about the club and interviews with the players.

Documentaries[]

In 2015, a documentary entitled Zamalek, O Engineering, playing, Art and Engineering, was produced by Abu Dhabi Sports. It was presented in two parts, and presents the history of the club since its foundation.^[90][91]

Another documentary film produced in 2016, The Story is Mpethanish(we don't forget ), covers the club's history in the five championships in the African Champions League, and was produced by DMC Sport channel.

Another documentary film was produced by the CBC network in 2017, entitled Helmy Zamora. It covers the story of Helmy or Zamora the icon of Zamalek club.

Another documentary film was produced in 2019 with the title Zamalek Club, the National and Dignity Club. It was produced by the club, and shows the history of the club since its establishment.^[92]

Another documentary film produced in 2020 entitled Zamalek Legends: A long history of stars who inhabited the memory, produced by Abu Dhabi Sports channel, covers the highlight of the club's most prominent stars from different generations.

Another documentary film produced in 2020 entitled Zamalek – The Road to the African Super 2020, produced by beIN SPORTS Arabia channel, documents Zamalek's journey in winning the 2019 CAF Confederation Cup.

Another documentary film produced in 2020 entitled Zamalek, the Road to the Semi-finals 2020, produced by beIN SPORTS Arabia channel, describes Zamalek won the African Super Cup championship against Espérance Sportive de Tunis , and won the local super championship against Al Ahly.

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 31 January 2022^[93]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  EGY Mohamed Abou Gabal 3 MF  EGY Tarek Hamed 4 DF  EGY Mahmoud Alaa 5 DF  EGY Mohamed Abdel Ghani 7 DF  EGY Hazem Emam (Vice-captain) 8 MF  EGY Emam Ashour 10 MF  EGY Shikabala (Captain) 11 FW  EGY Islam Gaber 12 MF  EGY Mohamed Ashraf 13 DF  EGY Mohamed Abdel Shafy (3rd captain) 14 MF  EGY Youssef Obama 15 FW  TUN Seifeldine Al-Jaziri 16 GK  EGY Mohamed Awad 18 MF  EGY Ayman Hefny 19 FW  EGY Omar El Said

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW  MAR Achraf Bencharki 22 DF  EGY Abdallah Gomaa 24 DF  TUN Hamza Al-Mathlouthi 25 MF  EGY Ahmed Sayed 26 FW  CIV Razack Cisse 27 FW  MAR Mohamed Ounajem 28 DF  EGY Mahmoud Hamdy 29 DF  EGY Ahmed Fatouh 32 GK  EGY El-Sayed Attia 33 FW  EGY Hossam Ashraf 36 DF  EGY Hossam Abdul-Majeed 39 MF  EGY Sayed Abduallah 40 MF  EGY Seif Farouk 42 DF  EGY Muhammad Tarek 44 MF  EGY Maged Hany

Out on loan[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  EGY Hamdy Alaa (on loan to Smouha) — DF  EGY Mahmoud Shabana (on loan to Al Ittihad) — FW  EGY Osama Faisal (on loan to National Bank of Egypt SC) — GK  EGY Mahmoud Abdul-Rahim (on loan to Future) — GK  EGY Muhammad Sobhy (on loan to Pharco)

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  EGY Mohamed Abdel Salam (on loan to Al Ittihad) — GK  EGY Ahmad Nader El-Sayed (on loan to F.C. Vizela ) — DF  EGY Yassin Marei (on loan to Pharco) — DF  EGY Ahmed Mahmoud (on loan to Pharco) — FW  EGY Marwan Hamdi (on loan to Smouha SC)

Players under contract[]

Youth team and reserves[]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 32 GK  EGY El-Sayed Attia — GK  EGY Mohamed Nadim 36 DF  EGY Hossam Abdul-Majeed 34 DF  EGY Ahmad Eid 42 DF  EGY Muhammad Tarek 38 DF  EGY 31 MF  EGY Muhammad Hossam El-Deen 44 MF  EGY Maged Hany 40 MF  EGY Seif Farouk 39 MF  EGY Sayed Abduallah 33 FW  EGY Hossam Ashraf 37 FW  EGY

Player records[]

Notable players[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Players of El Zamalek.

This list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.

Source:^[94][95]

Staff[]

Board of Directors[]

Position	Name
President	Mortada Mansour
Vice-president	Mostafa Hadhoud
Treasurer	Khaled Latif
Board member	Ahmed Mortada Mansour
Board member	Alaa Meqled
Board member	Soliman Wahdan
Board member	Alaa Nagy
Board member	Gamal Abdel-Hamid
Board member	Maryem Rizk
Board member	Passant Gohar
Board member	Mahmoud Taha
Board member	Ahmed Deabes

Source:^{[96][97][98][99][100]}

Current technical staff[]

Jesualdo Ferreira Head Coach of Zamalek SC

Position	Name
Coaching Staff
Head Coach	Jesualdo Ferreira
Assistant Coach	Rui Águas
Assistant Coach	Osama Nabih
Assistant Coach	Ahmed Abdul-Maksoud
Goalkeeping Coach	Ayman Taher
Fitness and conditioning Coach	André Philip
Performance Analyst	Daniel Gonzales
Football Sector Management
General Supervisor of football	Amir Mortada Mansour
Head of the administrative scale	Ahmed Hosny
players affairs manager	Ahmed Ibrahim
Administrator	Abdallah Hussein
Administrator	Ibrahim Zarea
Administrator	Mohamed Abdul-Rahim

Medical staff[]

Honours[]

Zamalek is one of the top twenty clubs that won the most championships in the world, and is the seventh with the most continental and international championships, with a total of 13 continental honors.^{[101][102][103]}

•   record
• ^S shared record

Other sports[]

Zamalek participates in many sports besides football, such as handball, athletics, volleyball, and basketball. Zamalek has won many local, Arab and African tournaments and participated in world championships.^[104][105]

See also[]

• Zamalek SC (handball)
• Zamalek SC (volleyball)
• Zamalek SC (basketball)

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zamalek SC.

• Official website
• Zamalek SC on FIFA.com
• Zamalek SC on CAF
• Zamalek SC on Egyptian Football Association