Henri Michel returned to Zamalek for a second stint after the club announced his appointment as the team's new coach following Michel Decastel's dismissal. "Michel is the new Zamalek manager. He will be assisted by (the team's all-time top scorer) Abdul-Halim Ali," spokesman Sabri Serag said on the club's official website on Saturday. The 61-year-old is set to pen a one-year deal and will receive €35,000 per month, FilGoal.com has learnt. Swiss tactician Decastel, who took over at Zamalek last January, was sacked as a result of the team's poor start to the season. The Cairo giants claimed just four points from their first three games in the Egyptian Premier League. "Zamalek board of directors would like to thank Decastel and his assistants for their efforts during the past months," Serag added. Decastel arrived at a time when Zamalek faced the unthinkable prospect of being relegated to the second division last season. He turned around their fortunes and helped them to a sixth-place finish.
Decastel shown the door The 53-year-old was widely acclaimed for promoting several youngsters, who went on to become integral members of Zamalek's squad, to the first team. However, the White Knights' stuttering form in the early stage of this season, including a defeat to Petrojet and a draw at Arab Contractors, prompted the club's board to show him the door. Acrimonious Exit Michel left South African outfit Sundowns in March after a cup defeat enraged their fans. The former France, Cameroon and Morocco manager had to be driven away by riot police to escape the angry supporters, who chased him following Sundowns' 1-0 defeat to unfancied Platinum Stars in the second round. He now returns to a Zamalek side he departed in an acrimonious manner in the summer of 2007. The five-time African champions, who last won the league title in 2004, notably improved under his guidance in the second half of the 2006/2007 season. They were on the verge of winning the Egyptian Cup but suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat to arch-rivals Ahli after extra time in the competition's final. Few months later, Zamalek were holding their pre-season training camp in France when Michel suddenly left them without disclosing the reasons behind his decision.
