Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed, himself a long-serving Zamalek goalkeeper, is not satisfied with the club's fans attitude towards another veteran member, skipper Hazem Emam. Zamalek fans called on Emam to retire from football after making a late appearance in the Cairo giants' stunning 1-0 home defeat to Ismaili in the Egyptian League opener. Maybe the former Udinese man does not enjoy best of forms, but such an icon shouldn't be treated like this by his own fans, according to Al-Sayed. "What happened to Emam during Ismaili match is unacceptable. He is such a great player who did great things for Zamalek. On a personal level, I like him a lot," Al-Sayed told FilGoal.com. However, the 30-year-old guardian believes Emam will take positives from the fans' weird attitude. "The fans were split into two groups, one supporting Emam and the other attacking him but after the latest incident, everyone will support Emam in the upcoming period, the stance which will heavily benefit him." Al-SAYED RETURNS TO ZAMALEK FOLD Al-Sayed has not played a competitive match since last April after suffering cruciate ligament damage in Zamalek's clash against Jordan's Faisali in the first-leg of the Arab Champions League semi-final. After concluding the rehabilitation program in France, Al-Sayed will soon return to action in order to be ready for Zamalek's derby clash against Ahli in the Egyptian League next month. "I've started training two weeks ago and ready to play. All I need now is regaining match fitness," he said. "I will play one or two matches with Zamalek's youth team and will probably take part in ENPPI's league game to be ready for the following clash against Ahli." The Egypt international shot-stopper was not worried after participating in his first training session since sustaining the injury. "When I step on to the pitch I put any injury fears behind me because I will not perform well if I kept worrying about aggravating the problem."
Al-Sayed looks forward to a successful season with Zamalek ZAMALEK FUTURE Zamalek fans are desperate for the team's first piece of silverware since 2004, but their hopes suffered a blow following Henri Michel's shocking resignation. Al-Sayed is hoping the men in white can brush off all the problems and mount a serious challenge to Ahli's domination in Egypt. "Michel's resignation has negatively affected the team especially that the Frenchman departed just before the league's opener. I think he wasn't content with managing a club, he feels more at ease with national teams." "But we've made several reinforcements and should capitalize on Ahli's current dip in form." Former Zamalek manager Ruud Krol took charge of the club and Al-Sayed praised the Dutch tactician abilities. "Krol is a good manager; I played under his guidance at the end of the 1990s. He is good in terms of tactics and can also maintain the players' high levels of fitness throughout the season." Regarding his hopes for next season, Al-Sayed said he wishes to stay injury-free and aims to help Zamalek win any title for fans' sake. EGYPT NATIONAL TEAM Al-Sayed has been Egypt's stand-in keeper but after his injury, his teammate Mohamed Abdul-Monsef has taken his place. However, he is determined to win back his position. "Egypt technical staff has been in contact with me when I was in France; this shows that they were following my progress. My return to Egypt will be through excelling in Zamalek matches in the league." Al-Sayed will be hoping to earn a call-up to Egypt squad for the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana if the Pharaohs secured their place in the competition.
