Tens of Egyptian journalists marched on Saturday to the prosecutor-general's office to lodge a number of complaints against controversial lawyer and Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour. The march was organised by Egypt's Journalists Syndicate and Egyptian Sports Press Association (ESPA). Mansour's son and Zamalek board member Ahmed Mansour reportedly started a counter march against the journalists at the same time, accompanied by lawyers and supporters of his father. Last week, the ESPA decided in an official statement to boycott Zamalek's president after his recent abuse against the head of the sports section at daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm. The Journalists Syndicate showed full solidarity with the ESPA's decision, vowing to sue Mortada. Mansour responded quickly by calling the ESPA statement insulting and demanding an apology from the syndicate's board. The outspoken lawyer has been a controversial figure in Egyptian society since the 1990s, with a resume full of controversial lawsuits as well as public statements. In March of this year he was elected head of the Zamalek sports club for the third time. Since then, he has been involved in several bust-ups with the Ultras White Knights, Zamalek's hardcore supporters. This summer he declared his intention to run in the country's presidential election, only to back out and put his support behind ex-army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who won in a landslide. Source : Ahram online
