Ismaili's goalkeeper Essam el-Hadari has decided to skip club training in protest at their handling of transfer offers he has received. “The club rejected several offers for me in the January transfer window and that is why I'm frustrated,” el-Hadari told FilGoal.com on Thursday night. “I'm not used to playing for a team with whom I do not feel comfortable,” he said. The veteran goalkeeper has not shown up for training since returning from international duty in Angola, where he helped Egypt win an unprecedented third consecutive Nations Cup title. He made a brilliant performance in Angola and was named the best goalkeeper in the tournament. El-Hadari said he is still in good shape and that he can still do more for Egypt. Sudanese giants Merreikh failed in their attempts to sign him up before the closure of the January transfer window as Ismaili said their offer did not suit someone of el-Hadari's calibre. English second division side Watford were also believed to be interested in acquiring his services, but Ismaili rebuffed their approach to further incur the 37-year-old's wrath. “I need some time to consider my options before making a final decision,” el-Hadari added. El-Hadari joined Ismaili last summer after ending a 17-month spell with Swiss side Sion. He still faces possible sanctions for violating his contract with Cairo giants Al-Ahly to join Sion in 2008, a few days after playing a key role in Egypt's Nations Cup triumph in Ghana. Meanwhile, Zamalek have come out to openly state that Egyptian star Mohamed ‘Gedo' Nagi has been signed to them, and have now vowed that they will not let him go. Press reports in Egypt indicated that Gedo had penned a deal with Zamalek before extending his current club Al-Ittihad's contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season. Though the attacker has denied that he agreed to join Zamalek, the Cairo club have objected his statement. “The player has officially signed a contract with us,” Zamalek football director Ibrahim Hassan told the local media yesterday. “We respect all the clubs, including Al-Ittihad, but we will not give up our rights. “We opened negotiations with him in January because he had just six months remaining on his deal. We legally acted in an appropriate way. “We presented our documents to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and will shortly reveal more details about the matter.” The Alexandria-based club Al-Ittihad, who said recently that Gedo was going nowhere because he had extended his contract with them, are yet to comment on Zamalek's announcement. But Gedo has denied Zamalek's statements. “I have a contract with Ittihad and I cannot join another team without my club's permission,” the 26-year-old told the Egyptian TV. “I have no agreement with Zamalek. It is true I met Zamalek's coach Hossam Hassan, who is a friend of mine, but I told him to contact Al-Ittihad first if he wanted me.” Interest in Gedo from a number of clubs surfaced after the player emerged as the top scorer in the just finished Africa Cup of Nations (ACN). He scored five goals in Angola, where he came from the bench six times to score the goals that enabled Egypt to snatch their third continental prestigious title in a row. The Pharaohs are now record breakers, having won the ACN three times in a row to bring their total championship wins to seven.
