Only four months after stepping down as the team's head coach, Mohamed Helmi was reappointed on Tuesday night by Zamalek as first-team manager following a disappointing 1-1 Egyptian league draw with Wadi Degla. Under the oversight of interim head coach Mohamed Salah, who took charge of Zamalek following the departure of Moemen Soliman less than two weeks ago, the Egypt Cup holders managed to claim only five points from three league games. Salah will remain on the team's technical staff as assistant head coach. Zamalek enjoyed a superb run under Helmi during his nearly three-month tenure as manager. The 54-year-old Helmi led Zamalek to a 12-match winning streak which ended with a bitter 2-1 loss in their African Champions League home game in July to eventual champions South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns. Helmi's woes continued after another frustrating 1-0 loss in the away game to the South Africans. The two losses sealed Helmi's short stint as head coach of the Cairo Giants, causing him to part ways with the club amid tensions with chairman Mortada Mansour. The outspoken Mansour, who has had contentious relationships with multiple team managers in his two-year tenure, is reported to have been convinced of reappointing Helmi following consultation with the club's board and management. "I've asked the first-team's management whether they would be ready to cooperate with Helmi and they unanimously agreed," Mansour said. "All board members have agreed to appoint Helmi to lead the team. Helmi's familiarity with the players is an asset," he added. Zamalek, who played three fewer games than leaders Ahly, are currently sixth of the league table on 18 points, 11 adrift of their arch-rivals who take on third-from-bottom Sharkeya on Tuesday. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
