Zamalek have narrowed their search for a new coach to succeed Hossam Hassan, who was sacked last week, to three Latin American candidates "The club has invited Argentinean Carlos Bianchi, his compatriot Hector Cuper and Colombian Jorge Luis Pinto to come to Egypt and conduct talks in order to chose the most suitable candidate to lead the team," read a statement on Zamalek's official Facebook page on Monday. The Cairo giants have been linked with a long list of coaches over the past few days, including Portuguese duo Paulo Duarte and Jaime Pacheco and Serbian Milovan Rajevac, among others. Former Zamalek coach Jorvan Vieira, who is currently in charge of Kuwait, turned down the chance to return to Cairo, while Rajevac, who led Ghana to the World Cup quarters in 2010, has reportedly rejected the idea of being in competition with other candidates. Bianchi, 65, is an iconic figure among Argentinean coaches after winning a host of trophies, including four Copa Libertadores titles, earning him the title of South American coach of the year five times. Cuper, 58, hit stardom after leading Valencia to the final of the UEFA Champions in 2000 and 2001, while the 61-year-old Pinto was at the helm of a stunning Costa Rica team that reached the World Cup quarter finals for the first time ever in 2014. The statement didn't clarify whether the three men had accepted the invitation or not, but Zamalek is hoping to finalise a deal soon to get the team settled before the league's resumption on 18 October. Hossam Hassan was sacked after only three league games , following what the board considered to be a below-par performance by the team. The club had gone on a spending spree this summer, bringing in 17 players in order to regain the league title, last won in 2004. (For more sports news and updates, follow AhramOnline Sports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/112477.aspx
