Amr Zaki has been handed a one-month suspension and an EGP 45,000 fine by Zamalek after his reaction to the team's 1-1 draw with Suez Cement, the Cairo club announced on Saturday. The disappointing draw with bottom club Cement prompted a furious reaction from the 24-year-old striker, who accused his teammates of lacking unity as well as not being faithful to their club. Zamalek official web site confirmed the sanction and stressed that the club will not tolerate behavior like that from any member of the team. The decision will do little to ease the crisis between Zamalek and Zaki, who revealed his intention to retire from professional football as a result of the team's continued poor results. "The player's announcement that he would retire is a silly act," Zamalek assistant coach Ayman Mansour told FilGoal.com on Saturday. "We will face such an attitude with strict disciplinary measures to put an end to the chaos that accompanied the team in the past period." The Egypt striker told the club's board on Friday that he won't be able to continue his adventure with the Cairo giants, revealing his insistence to hang up his boots.
Ayman Mansour The men in white, who finished as runners-up last season, are unlikely to mount any challenge for the league title this season as their disastrous start left them in seventh place with just ten points. Zaki's suspension follows a similar punishment to young playmaker Mahmoud Abdul-Razeq 'Shikabala', who was also banned for one month after making inappropriate gestures in the 1-0 defeat to Ahli two weeks ago. Underachieving Zaki Mansour was astonihsed by Zaki's reaction, believing that his apparent retirement is an irresponsible decision. "I have never heard something like that, a player retires in his early 20s," Mansour said sarcastically. "What has he done to Zamalek since his arrival? The team have never won any competition for three years. He did not contribute to any success since joining." Veteran trio Hazem Emam, Tarek Al-Sayed and Abdul-Halim Ali have also revealed recently that they consider retirement from professional football.
