Zamalek seem to have abandoned their pursuit of a foreign manager and handed Motamed Gamal full control of the first team.
The Egyptian champions announced the decision to keep the current manager and accept the sporting director John Edward’s resignation late on Tuesday, completing a major reversal after weeks of negotiations with several foreign coaches.
Zamalek thanked Edward for his work and said they would hold a farewell ceremony in his honour. The board also plans to appoint a new sporting director shortly.
Gamal will remain as head coach for the 2026/27 season and receive full authority over first-team affairs.
The White Knights will begin their pre-season camp on Friday as they prepare to defend the Egyptian Premier League title and return to the CAF Champions League.
The decision ends Zamalek’s attempt to appoint Serbian coach Vuk Rašović, despite the club appearing close to completing an agreement only days earlier.
As KingFut previously reported, Zamalek had accepted amendments requested by Rašović, but the parties had yet to sign the final contract.
The club had also explored other foreign candidates during the summer. Zamalek contacted Spanish coach Pablo Franco before ending that pursuit, while Bulgarian manager Ivaylo Petev also held talks.
Zamalek did not disclose Edward’s reason for resigning, but the choice of head coach seems to have been a central disagreement between him and the board.
Edward wanted to appoint a foreign manager and had reached terms with Rašović. President Hussein Labib and several board members, on the other hand, favoured Gamal because of his familiarity with the squad, recent results and the cost of employing a foreign coaching staff.
Zamalek appointed Edward as sporting director in June 2025 and initially gave him full authority over the first team and other football matters.