With only eight days to go before the kick-off of the national league competition; two of the top Egyptian clubs lost their foreign head coaches. Inas Mazhar reports Egyptian club football was dealt the first of two blows with the sudden resignation of , head coach of the Zamalek Club, the runner up of both the National League competition and the FA Cup. Michel surprised club officials by tendering his resignation at the close of the club's training camp in France. Following a 1-1 draw in a friendly match against the Belgium side Cortier, Michel informed the head of the delegation Ahmed Abdallah of his decision to quit the club. The head coach then called upon technical staff Moetemed Gamal and Ahmed Taher to summon the team players. During the meeting, Michel announced his departure saying the decision was final and without second thoughts, explaining that he had resigned as head coach after a disagreement with the club's administration. Michel reportedly quit over the club's refusal to honour his recommendation to sell five of the club's players including team captain Hazem Emam. The Frenchman's ire was ignited following Zamalek's inclusion of the five on the team's second list, which was presented to the Egyptian Football Association. The 31-year-old midfielder Emam has been in poor form in recent years but the continued popularity of the former Udinese player was a deciding factor in the Zamalek's board decision to retain him Although the French coach failed to win any titles with Zamalek, he had been highly praised for developing the standards of the team yet, according to sources, the 59- year-old Michel was harsh in his criticism of the players during his final meeting, accusing them of being careless and unresponsive. Rumours abound that Michel, who took over at Zamalek last December, is due to lead the Moroccan national team in its African Nations' Cup campaign next January in Ghana. As former coach of the Atlas Lions, Michel guided Morocco to the World Cup finals in France 1998. Immediately after the news reached Cairo, the club's officials held an urgent meeting to discuss the sudden departure of the Frenchman, who had not long ago extended his contract with Zamalek. Michel, whose previous deal was due to expire at the end of the season, in April signed a two-year contract extension which was supposed to keep him at the club until 2009 . Michel's unexpected departure, coming as it did just a matter of days before the national league kicks-off left club officials in a conundrum concerning a suitable replacement. Big names such as Taha Basri and Mahmoud El-Gohari, who formerly coached Egypt's two powerhouses Ahli and Zamalek, were mentioned. Although, El-Gohari, fresh from his post leading the Jordanian national team, has been offered the prestigious job of technical manager of the Egyptian Football Association, Zamalek is hopeful of making Gohari an offer he can't refuse. As former coach of the national team El-Gohari lead Egypt to the 1990 World Cup in Italy besides winning the African Nations Cup in 1998. Michel, who refused to join the team for the journey back to Cairo through Paris, left the camp with the technical fitness coach claiming that he was ready to pay the club the penalty of two months of his salary for breaking the contract. Michel was reported to earn $60,000 monthly, an Egyptian record for a club coach. Michel, who in 2006 took Ivory Coast to their first World Cup finals where they performed honourably finishing third in a group which included Argentina and the Netherlands, quit after the Elephants failed to progress beyond the group stage. The Elephants lost their opening two matches at the tournament, but picked up a consolation 3-2 win over Serbia and Montenegro. He then took a job as head coach of the Qatar's Al-Arabi Club but was sacked just four months into the job. He had only been in charge for six league games in which the club won twice and lost three times. During his short reign, Al Arabi were also knocked out in the first round of the Gulf Cup. While Michel resigned, his compatriot Ismaili club manager Patrice Neveu was sacked following his reported three week absence from the club. Neveu went on vacation to his homeland last month but failed to return to prepare Isamaili for the new season or lead them in the Confederation Cup. The team drew with Kwara United of Nigeria 1-1 last Friday and were led by caretaker Fawzi Gamal instead. The former manager of Guinea, Neveu started his coaching career in France and has managed sides in Morocco, Niger, Tunisia and China. He was appointed Ismaili manager in February and received monthly salary of $15,000 but failed to win any silverware during his term as manager. Egyptian manager Taha Basri is expected to succeed Neveu, but with the departure of Michel from Zamalek, Basri is on the list of names to replace him. A former Zamalek player, Basri, who lead the Enppi Club to the first division and top victory in the Egyptian Cup in 2005, has postponed signing for Ismaili while he awaits Zamalek's decision.
