CAIRO: In a move that shocked Egyptian football fans, Hassan Shehata, Egypt's former national team coach, has joined al-Zamalek club as their manager. Shehata will be replacing Hossam Hassan, the club's coach for the last two seasons. The club announced their shocking decision on Tuesday, only days after the club announced the renewal of Hassan contract for two more seasons. Galal Ibrahim, Zamalek's board chairman, said that the club thanks Hassan for his time and effort, yet the club needs someone with the “expertise of Shehata.” The Zamalek club lost the Egyptian league yet again to rival Cairo club al-Ahly for the 7th time consecutively. Shehata has a large following among football fans in the country, especially after Egypt's national team and won the African cup three times in the row. However, he was let go by the national team after a poor qualification run for the next installment of the continental tournament has Egypt on the outside looking in. The club have given Shehata “complete freedom in choosing his aides and the players on the team.” The news comes shortly after the team's leading star, Shikabala, announced he was leaving Zamalek to join a Saudi Arabia team, who bought him for two seasons. BM