CAIRO - Zamalek's technical staff, led by coach Hassan Shehata, have decided to exclude Egypt key star Mahmoud Abdel-Razeq 'Shikaballah' from the squad, which will leave today for Tanzania. There, they will play Tanzania's Young Africans in the round of 64 in the African Champions League (ACL) on Saturday at 3pm (CLT), in the province of Dar es Salaam. "We have ruled out playmaker 'Shikaballah' because of injury," says Zamalek's assistant coach Ismail Youssef, adding that they have been watching many videos for the opponents to try and gauge their strong and weak points. “The team have finished their preparations for the clash. Despite suffering many injuries, we are prepared.” Zamalek will also enter the match without many other key players, such as Ahmed Hassan, get permission to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umra (Minor Pilgrimage), in addition to defender Salah Soleiman, and playmaker Mohamed Ibrahim, both injured. According to Youssef, the team face other problems, not just injuries, ahead of the ACL clash, as the players are frustrated because of the fateful events in Port Said Stadium earlier this month, which have caused the League to be indefinitely postponed, while most clubs have suspended all their sporting activities. On Wednesday February 1, in Port Said, a match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly turned violent, claiming the lives of at least 70 Ahly fans and injuring around 1,000 more. Seconds after the final whistle, all hell broke loose. Thousands of supporters of Port Said team Al-Masry invaded the pitch, hurling bottles and rocks at the fans of Cairo's Ahly. Al-Ahly Club have suspended all their sporting activities and declared 40 days of mourning, ending on March 11. The violence that erupted was one of the deadliest incidents in the history of soccer worldwide. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has agreed to postpone Egypt's Cup of Nations' qualifier against Central Africa till June 30. The match was due to take place on February 29, but Egypt asked the CAF to postpone it, as the country is in mourning following ‘The Massacre of Port Said'. On Monday, to prepare for the Young Africans clash, Zamalek (the White Knights) played a friendly against Al-Itisallat club, winning 4-1. Youssef was delighted by the way the team played, stressing that the match was made difficult because of everyone's grief because of the Port Said tragedy. "The coaching staff have been trying to help the players overcome the disaster, mentally and physically," he explained. "A lot of the players are missing, but we'll do our best to win the ACL match," explained Youssef, stressing that his side will play with three midfielders to increase the pressure on the Young Africans. The return leg match will be held on the weekend of March 2 to 4. Zamalek squad: Goalkeepers: Abdel-Wahed el-Sayyed, Mahmoud Genish. Defenders: Mohamed Abdel-Shafei, Mahmoud Fathallah, Hazem Emam, Ahmed Samir, Sabri Raheil. Midfielders: Said Mohamed, Omar Gaber, Nour el-Sayyed, Ibrahim Salah, Islam Awwad, Hani Said, Ahmed Tewfiq, Alaa Ali, Cameroonian Alexis Mendomo. Strikers: Amr Zaki, Ahmed Gaafar, Razak Omotoyossi of Benin.
