Fear of suspension of enrollment: How did Zamalek suffer financially?

Zamalek SC has struggled in recent years due to the accumulation of debts from all over the place due to overdue financial dues that the club was supposed to pay to former players and former coaches as well.

The white club is in a huge debt spiral, which has caused a financial crisis in its ranks, exposing it to harsh sanctions from FIFA, the international soccer governing body.

Zamalek's board of directors, headed by Hussein Labib, has managed to overcome a second registration suspension after a series of financial settlements with former clubs, players and coaches. The club paid an estimated $6.5 million in dues, in a pre-emptive move to avoid any potential penalties from sports federations.

The financial settlements included large payments to several parties, most notably a financial settlement with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon in the case of Mahmoud Abdel Razek “Shikabala” amounting to one and a half million dollars, in addition to other amounts to clubs such as Venezuela's Caracas and Nigeria's Leon 36.

The club was also keen to settle the dues of former coaches, with large sums paid to Portuguese Jaime Pacheco and former coach Gesualdo Ferreira's assistants. The board of directors did not neglect to settle the situation of former players, as the dues of Ghanaian Benjamin Acheampong and Moroccans Khaled Boutaib and Ahmed Belhadj were paid.

The move comes as part of the Zamalek board's efforts to resolve outstanding issues and ensure the club's stability in the coming period, especially as it enters local and continental competitions. The move reflects the board's commitment to resolving financial disputes once and for all, and to avoid any legal consequences that may affect the team's competitive process.