Zamalek's coach Manuel Cajuda has decided to bench Amr Zaki in Tuesday's Arab Champions League (ACL) match against Ittihad Libya. Zaki had previously refused to travel to Libya because of an injury to his ear drum, but ended up flying to Tripoli after Zamalek president Mamdouh Abbas intervened. Abbas took the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the player who eventually linked-up with his teammates on Sunday. Nevertheless, Abbas's efforts were in vein as Cajuda and his technical staff insisted the player's actions were inappropriate. "Zaki will be sidelined for Ittihad's game," Zamalek assistant coach Ahmed Ramzi told FilGoal.com in a phone interview late on Monday. "We believe the player is exaggerating his injury and making up excuses to skip matches," he added.
Zaki wants out of Zamalek Ramzi insisted Cajuda will not give in to the pressure from Zamalek's officials and will only field the players he believes to represent the team. This saga could very well put an end to Cajuda's stint with Zamalek, especially that The club is trying to please Zaki who is being linked with a move to the Premiership in January. Cajuda has a history of bust-ups with some of Zamalek's prominent players including skipper Hazem Emam and goalkeeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed. Zamalek beat Ittihad 1-0 in the first-leg of the ACL second round in Cairo last week, courtesy of a Zaki second-half strike. The Cairo giants need only a draw in Tripoli to secure passage to the Arab competition's quarter-finals.
