Notorious Zamalek chief trying to force McLeish out of club

Mohamed Atalla 15:29 02/05/2016
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  • McLeish was appointed Zamalek boss in February but has had a difficult start to his tenure, winning just two of his first five matches in charge.

    And with bitter rivals Al Ahly now boasting a commanding 11-point lead at the top of the Egyptian Premier League table, Mansour is keen to get rid of the former Rangers and Birmingham City manager.

    However, Mansour– who is widely disliked by the club’s fanatical support base after previously branding them “terrorists” – does not want to pay the fee demanded by McLeish’s exit clause.

    ALEX MCLEISH - FACTS

    • Played under Sir Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen, winning Cup Winners' Cup
    • Claimed domestic Treble as Rangers manager in 2002-03
    • Won League Cup and was relegated in same season as Birmingham City boss

    So in a bid to get the 57-year-old to resign, Mansour has hired four coaches – all with technical powers – which has seemingly reduced the Scot to a bit-part role.

    “The club president told us that McLeish did not have the powers and he will watch the team’s training only,” one Zamalek player told Sport360.

    Earlier this year, ex-Zamalek boss Mido claimed that Mansour hired Islamic scholars to “exorcise the black magic” he believed was surrounding the club’s players.

    In an interview with Al Qahera Al Youm, Mido said: “Before the last game against Smouha in the Egyptian Premier League, the president of the club set up a meeting with me and [assistant coach] Hazem Emam.

    “He claimed that I should not include Bassem Morsy and Kahraba in the starting line-up because they were cursed with black magic and that the curse would only be exorcised the following week.”

    In 2015, Mansour was sentenced to one year in jail – though he escaped a custodial sentence after paying a fine – for defaming Tarek El-Awady, the lawyer of Zamalek’s Ultras White Knights (UWK) fans group.

    Mansour had claimed on television that El-Awady had previously burned a police vehicle and stolen their weapons and that he insulted police and army personnel. He also added that UWK lawyer received foreign funds from Qatar.

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