IT SEEMS that Zamalek's club saga around the presidential seat will never end. An Egyptian court recently ruled that the membership of former club president could be reinstated, thus clearing the way for a possible run in this month's club elections. Before the latest verdict Mansour's membership had been stripped for unruly conduct in several incidents in and outside the club. The decision meant that to the four candidates running for the club's presidency -- current president Mamdouh Abbas, Ismail Selim, El-Mamdouh El-Hosini and former club president Kamal Darwish -- their biggest rival was no more. Campaigning for the elections scheduled for the end of this month has been nevertheless tough, to the extent that it has overshadowed lots of the problems facing the club. However, Abbas has been able to hire a new head coach Reiner Hollman, replacing Ruud Krol. And he signed up new football players to the team, the most famous being Ghanaian Junior Agogo and national team and Ismaili defender Hani Said. The question is now whether Mansour will run for the elections So far, there has been no word from Mansour. Surprisingly, and despite the long disputes and bad-terms between Amidst the heated, Zamalek have finally decided to allow the club's star striker Amr Zaki turn pro at Wigan Athletic on a one-year loan deal. According to the player's website, Zamalek agreed to let the 25-year-old attacker go and fulfill his dream of turning pro. Zaki was able to reach a deal with Zamalek's board member Ahmed Hafez, who helped calm matters down between the club management and the player. Zaki's new contract with Zamalek expires at the end of the 2011-2012 season. It is said that the contract is worth �1,250,000. Zaki's new club is also expected to pay 400,000 euros to Zaki's previous club Lokomotiv of Russia. According to Zamalek's media officer and spokesman Khaled Gaber further details will be revealed soon at a press conference in Cairo. Gaber would not confirm the deal. Zaki will now miss the African derby between Ahli and Zamalek on Sunday in the African Champions League as he was scheduled to fly on Tuesday to undergo medical tests at the premiership club. No sooner had Zaki's problem been solved than up sprang the issue of Said. After signing with Zamalek, the player decided he wanted to play for Ahli. A bizarre incident followed in which Said's contract with the club was reportedly stolen from the car of Zamalek's goalkeeper Mohamed Abdel-Monsef. The goalkeeper reported the theft to the police, after which Said allegedly assaulted Abdel-Monsef and attempted to damage his car. Accordingly, the Egyptian FA earlier this week imposed a LE350,000 fine over Said and compelled him to fulfill his agreement with Zamalek. The decision was issued after the FA's Footballers' Committee approved Said's contract with Zamalek. However, the national team defender continued to insist he wanted to sign for the Red Knights. Said added that he will not play for any other club other than Ahli in Egypt and that he would take the issue to FIFA if needed. On a TV sports program, Said justified his surprising u-turn by claiming that he thought it was a pre-contract and that he could still change his mind. "I didn't realise then that the papers I signed were final and official," he told the presenter. "The fine of the EFA is unfair. I don't want to play for Zamalek. It's better to quit football." Zamalek's LE7 million bid for Said was most welcomed by the Ismaili board which apparently put pressure on the 28-year-old to sign.
