Zamalek again faces an uncertain future after a court ordered that the entire board be disbanded, reports Ahmed Morsy Zamalek chairman Mamdouh Abbas along with the entire board will have to go, at least for now, after a court ordered the board be disbanded following allegations of vote rigging in last year's elections. Mortada Mansour, who was runner-up to Abbas in last summer's election, claimed he lost because of voting irregularities, saying a large number of votes were made by unregistered members. Accordingly, an interim board will be appointed until new elections are held in July next year. "I said before that Abbas rigged the votes but the media did not believe me," Mansour said. "They accused me of making up charges because I lose the elections," Mansour, who was sacked as Zamalek president by the National Sports Council in 2006, was delighted to win the appeal and looks set to run again for the presidential post. "I received a promise from [NSC head Hassan] Sakr that the current board will be investigated by the prosecutor-general." Zamalek are already struggling for form after getting off to a poor start to their Egyptian domestic league campaign. They lie seventh in the league table with eight points from five games, having lost against Enppi and drawing with Haras Al-Hedoud and Gouna. The performance has cast doubts over their ability to win the crown for the first time since 2004. An administrative shake-up could affect results even more. In what appeared by some to be a provocative move, Mortada was present in the stands on Friday as the Cairo giants beat promoted Smouha 3-1 in Alexandria. As he was leaving the field Zamalek forward Shikabala made a shushing gesture to what appeared to be Mansour. He also pointed to where businessman Abbas was sitting in an outward sign of support. Abbas attended the game along with several board members. "I have a message for Egypt's coach Hassan Shehata: I don't think that you can include this rude player on the national team after what he did today," Mansour said in a phone interview with the TV show Modern Sport after the Smouha game. "Shikabala is an ignorant and decadent player. I used to give him LE10 to buy some sandwiches when I was president." Mansour went as far as accusing the Zamalek playmaker of threatening to kill him, saying he reported the threat to the prosecutor-general. On Monday, Shikabala was questioned by the police about the alleged death threat. As a result of the icy relationship with the 58- year-old Mansour, reports suggest that Shikabala, as well as many other Zamalek stars would leave the club if Mansour becomes the new chairman. Mortada previously said he believes there is no player worth millions, especially if he plays for Zamalek.
