Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed hit out at his Egypt and Zamalek teammate Essam Al-Hadari, accusing the Pharaohs' number-one goalie of lying to the media. Al-Hadari, who joined Zamalek in the close season from Ismaili, claimed that he would have started against Harras Hodoud in the Whites' league opener if it wasn't for an Al-Sayed tantrum. The former Ahli keeper said manager Hossam Hassan changed his mind because Al-Sayed seemed to be agitated by his decision to keep him benched. However, the Zamalek skipper vehemently denied Al-Hadari's story, saying he needs to be 'more reasonable'. "I was included in the squad right from the start and no changes were made," Al-Sayed told FilGoal.com. "Hossam Hassan is not a beginner to backtrack on a decision he made because it upset a player. "If so, I would stay upset for the remainder of the season in order to guarantee the starting berth. "The coaching staff have criteria on which the selection process is based.
Al-Hadari "I'm Zamalek's captain and no way would I make any troubles inside the club at the beginning of the season. "If I did so, what would the youngsters do then?! "I really respect Al-Hadari and consider him one of the best custodians in Egypt and Africa, but he needs to be more reasonable." Al-Sayed played the whole 90 minutes in the 2-2 draw between Zamalek and Hodoud. The 33-year-old said he's satisfied with his performance in the curtain raiser but assured that he wouldn't mind playing second fiddle to Al-Hadari. "It's the technical staff's decision. Al-Hadari is Egypt's first-choice keeper but that doesn't necessarily mean he will play regularly at Zamalek," Al-Sayed concluded. Prior to Al-Hadari's arrival, Al-Sayed expressed his dismay over the 37-year-old's link with Zamalek. Al-Sayed stressed on a number of occasions that he refuses to take on a bench role in the team.
