Amr Zaki's dispute with Wigan Athletic seems to have come to an end but what of fellow Egyptian striker Mido, wonders Inas Mazhar Earlier this week, the Wigan Athletic football club of England commented on its official website regarding their Egyptian footballer Amr Zaki. Zaki had been fined two weeks' wages by manager Steve Bruce after reportedly remaining in Egypt to seek treatment for a hamstring injury he picked up playing for his country. "The club would like to make the following statement regarding the Amr Zaki issue and will not be commenting further on this issue in the short term. "The club can confirm that the player and his agent Nader Shawki met with manager Steve Bruce and Chief Executive Brenda Spencer at the Wigan Athletic training ground on Friday morning. "Brenda Spencer has confirmed that the player has apologised to Bruce and herself for his behaviour and made a further apology to his teammates and the coaching staff. Spencer added: "He also wants to apologise to the supporters who have been so good to him since his arrival in England. He said the reason for his behaviour has been personal but he understands he has done wrong and will accept the fine the club has imposed according to the PFA guidelines. "The club has confirmed that the player has been fined the maximum fine in accordance to the PFA guidelines. "Zaki has already begun his rehabilitation with the club's medical team in the injury sustained during international duty a fortnight ago. Spencer added: "This whole affair has been very disappointing and the club are keen to draw a line under it. "Steve has told him that the door is not closed for him but he has a lot to do to earn a place back in the team. That is before we discuss anything more in the long term. "There are seven games left this season and our focus has to be on finishing in as high as a league position as possible. We cannot allow anything else to distract from that." A day following the statement, Egypt's striker Ahmed Hossam, or 'Mido', Zaki's teammate in Wigan and the Egyptian national squad, urged Wigan fans to welcome back Zaki. "I spoke to the lads about it, and Zaki came and apologised to the team, and the lads absolutely forgive him," Mido told The Manchester Evening News. "What people don't know is that he is a great lad and a very good man. He just doesn't know how the system here works. "I have known him for years and he has a big heart and is a professional. The thing about not coming back on time is something he needs to adapt to. "It's his job now to show he wants to do better for us. We really need him to finish the season well. I understand why the gaffer [Bruce] went to the media about it, as it was the fourth time, but I hope he stays at the club and that people don't kill him. "He stayed [in Egypt] to get treatment. It's a totally different system over there. He is a good friend of mine, and I really want to help him here. I hope he understands that, as I have more experience with the Premier League and English people, and better understand the mentality here. "He texted me after the match to say I played brilliantly and that he hoped I was OK." But just two weeks earlier, Mido had accused Zaki and his agent of spreading rumours about him after the Egypt-Zambia World Cup qualifier in Cairo. The rumours reportedly said Mido had protested to his national team coach Hassan Shehata for substituting him against Zambia. Mido denied the accusation and claimed it was a baseless story which emanated from Zaki. "There were reports after the game that I protested against the coach's decision to keep me on the bench, which is totally untrue. "I was even more shocked to learn that one of my teammates was responsible for spreading the rumour, with the help of his agent. "Zaki and his agent came up with that baseless story." Mido told the English newspaper The Sun after the match. Mido also warned Zaki he must find some consistency after failing to display his best form recently. He added: "I just want to tell him that success in Europe is not realised by playing well for a few months and scoring some goals. I have been in Europe for several years now and I have scored about 70 goals at the highest levels. I think that these rubbish claims do not match my standard." Reports said Zaki was spotted leaving a Manchester nightclub a mere 13 hours before kick-off against Arsenal at the weekend. Wigan were in fact beaten 4-1 at home by the Gunners on Sunday. Zaki remained calm over Mido's claims but reacted on his official website. "I've never raised any problem and I will never do so because I respect my teammates and all the technical crew and I respect myself before everything else."
