Did not demand Shikabala’s departure

Portuguese Coach of Egypt’s Zamalek football team Augusto Inacio blamed the team’s board for the decision to abandon the Egyptian footballer Mahmoud Abdel Raziq, denying what was promoted by Chairperson of Zamalek Mortada Mansour that he asked for his departure.

He added, in a press conference, that he did not attack the team’s fitness coach, saying that he does not adopt such approach in dealing with his assistants.

Regarding the latest match, He said that the players missed over six opportunities during the last match against Aswan, saying that he will focus to improve the scoring skills of his players during the coming period. He said that he took the responsibility of the team during a critical period of time, saying that the players were not prepared on fitness or mental levels. He added that he was keen to support the players for performing well to ensure their place in the team.

He added, in a statement to “Al Maghrib Today”, that the team has a large number of good players during the current period, saying that the team is on the right way to restore its position in the Egyptian and continental competition. He stressed that the recent wins do not provide evidence that the team reached to its level, as they should resume the positive results during the coming period.

He praised the performance of his team, saying that the players began to restore their confidence during the current period. He stressed that a large number of his players managed to restore their level during the recent matches.

He added, “In each match, the players’ performance notably improves. They restore their confidence gradually.” He said that he turned to substitute the team’s leader Shikabala because of his injury. He expressed his confidence that the team’s striker Manuel Maioka will restore his performance as soon as possible.