Zamalek will be looking to avoid the distraction of the off-field problems that threaten to further derail their Egyptian Premier League run when they face promoted Smouha on Friday. Wednesday's court ruling to disband Zamalek's board of directors came at a bad time for the struggling Cairo outfit who made a poor start to their league campaign, collecting just five points from their first four games. The court said that some votes were rigged during last year's elections to favor businessman Mamdouh Abbas, who beat off competition from controversial lawyer Mortada Mansour to become Zamalek's president. The verdict has darkened clouds over the future of the White Knights, who have been suffering from administrative instability during the past few years. "Zamalek's status as a big club should be superior over any events regarding the board. We should be stable under any circumstances," defender Hani Saied told FilGoal.com. Midfielder Hassan Mostafa added: "The most important issue for us is the fans. Our main objective is to make them happy by getting back to winning ways. "This will only be achieved by hard work and focus, not by talking about what's happening off the pitch." Zamalek can not afford to drop more points during that stage of the season if they are to keep alive their hopes of mounting a serious challenge for the league title, which they last won in 2004. Coach Hossam Hassan was the architect of Zamalek's superb comeback last season, helping them finish runners up behind champions Ahli after they risked the unthinkable prospect of being relegated before his arrival. At a loss But he seems at a loss to explain the team's poor results this term, admitting that he does not know the exact reasons behind their stuttering displays which saw them lose to ENNPI and draw with lowly Gouna during their previous two matches.
Hassan twins disappointed at poor results His twin brother Ibrahim Hassan, who occupies the football director role, stated a reason for Zamalek's disappointing results, but a very weird one. "A spell has been cast on the club. There are cracks in the walls of the locker room," he said. "Some sentences are written on the walls too. And let's not forget the Holy Quran mentions that magic does exist." His comments prompted local media to heavily criticize him ahead of Zamalek's away tie to Alexandria-based club Smouha. Zamalek welcome back right-back Ahmed Ghanem after he recovered from an injury but it remains to be seen whether he can regain his place in the starting line-up after Ghanaian Ibrahim Ayew played in his position in the 1-1 home draw with Gouna. Saied is likely to partner Egyptian international Mahmoud Fathallah in the heart of the team's defense due to the injury of Amr Al-Safti. Despite Zamalek's inconsistent form, Smouha are unlikely to cause an upset as they lie second from bottom with two points. Ittihad Alexandria, who have three points, will be seeking to put an end to a poor run at the expense of Gouna. Brazilian coach Carlos Cabral could leave Ittihad if they fail to overcome Gouna away from home. Petrojet, who recovered from a slow start to secure three successive wins, take on another in-form side in Police Union. Talaat Youssef's Police are sixth with eight points, one behind Petrojet who are playing their first season under coach Helmi Toulan.
