Zamalek club has taken legal action against Portuguese coach Manuel Cajuda who refused to travel with the team for an Arab Champions League (ACL) match in Kuwait. Zamalek's board had relieved Cajuda of his duty on Friday after the club's surprise 2-0 defeat to Masri in the local league on Friday. But the Portuguese manager refused to accept his sacking before receiving the termination compensation stated in his contract. “The decision to sack Cajuda has not been made official,” Zamalek board member Ahmed Tawfik told FilGoal.com on Sunday. Tawfik's statement contradicts with the decision made by Zamalek's board on Friday.
Zamalek fans don't want Cajuda “We filed a report to the police to document his refusal to travel with the team to Kuwait so he won't be able to use the contract-termination clause against us,” Tawfik added. Zamalek's contingent traveled to Kuwait on Sunday for their quarter-final Group A match against Qadsia club, which is scheduled for Wednesday. “We felt forced to take this step since Cajuda refused to settle the matter of the contract termination. We offered to pay him a smaller compensation fee, but he wouldn't budge,” added Tawfik. Zamalek had already opened negotiations with other coaches to takeover from Cajuda, but their efforts to finalize a deal with veteran manager Helmi Toulan reached a dead end. Cajuda's assistant, Ahmed Ramzi, has been appointed as caretaker coach until a replacement is assigned.
