Ahmed Suleiman, a member of the Zamalek Club Board of Directors, made important statements about the behind-the-scenes details and reasons for the departure of John Edward, the sports director, during the past period.
Zamalek Club announced the acceptance of the resignation of John Edward, the club's sports director, following a conflict of views with the board of directors.
Ahmed Suleiman's statements on John Edward's departure
Ahmed Suleiman said on "MBC Egypt" channel: "Zamalek Club had a severe financial crisis while suffering from a registration ban, but the administration succeeded in resolving these crises, and then we obtained the local and African licenses."
He added: "John Edward considered contracting with a foreign coach following the departure of Moataz Jamal, and discussions took place between the administration and the sports director to retain the achiever of the league title."
He continued: "The custom at all clubs, especially Al Ahly, is that the coach who achieves accomplishments must continue, which the sports director John Edward did not welcome."
He went on: "The first reason behind John Edward's departure is his refusal to continue with the old group, despite his task being to present plans to the administration, which in turn handles the decision-making and implementation."
He added: "I am a board member and knew nothing about the negotiations with the Serbian coach Razović, and perhaps the rest of the board members objected without my intervention."
He continued: "I praised Moataz Jamal's performance with Zamalek and the team, and there was a collective agreement among the Zamalek Club board members on his right to remain as the team's coach."
He indicated: "We set our priorities regarding financial matters based on the club's conditions and circumstances, and we initially focused on calming the players regarding their overdue dues."
He noted during his statements: "At the beginning of the past season, John Edward received a financial budget for deals that was double what the administration allocated to the deals file, despite the board working for 3 years."
Ahmed Suleiman revealed: "Zamalek Club paid 7 million dollars in fines and dues during the past period, an unprecedented amount, and as a result some dues were postponed."
He concluded: "The result of Zamalek's spending in the season compared to other clubs was winning the Premier League title, and the club's weak budget in previous years caused it to decline in tournaments, yet it did not end any season without a title."
