All isn’t well at APR’s opposition in this weekend‘s African Champions League second -leg of the preliminary round Zamalek. Ayman Mansour has been fired as Zamalek assistant coach, with Mohamed Helmi named as his successor, Head coach Ruud Krol’s future is covered in uncertainty. Zamalek chairman Mamdouh Abbas said Helmi will be playing “an effective role” as a member of manager Ruud Krol’s backroom staff. As Abbas announced the decision, Mansour was speaking to reporters in a press conference after his side’s 1-0 victory over Baladeya in the Egyptian League.Mansour, who also acted as football director, said that he hasn’t been officially informed of the decision. Abbas backed Krol and said he should be finding the help he needs from Helmi.Helmi, a former player of Zamalek, was the manager of Baladeya for the first half of the current Egyptian football season. “His appointment isn’t just a change in faces,” Abbas told the press. “He has the character and qualities needed as the team look forward to the future.“I would like to thank Mansour, who is a polite and respectable man.” Recently Zamalek held a meeting to discuss the future of manager Ruud Krol following the club’s poor national league performance. The club’s board evaluated the Dutchman performance of the past period. An internal source told an Egyptian football website that Helmi Toulan and Mahmoud Saad are the frontrunners to succeed Krol should Zamalek sack the Dutchman.The source also said that Krol may stay and there could be some changes in the technical staff. Under Krol’s helm, Zamalek conceded five defeats and dropped to the fifth place of the Egyptian standings with 29 points, 15 behind leaders Al Ahli. Ittihad coach Taha Basri refuted rumors linking him with Zamalek, insisting that he is fully committed to the Alexandria-based club. Zamalek are likely to axe Dutch boss Ruud Krol following the recent poor results which dashed the team’s hopes of competing for the Egyptian League title. Basri, whose Ittihad debut was tarnished after a 2-0 defeat to Harras Al-Hodoud, has no intention of switching clubs “I don’t like working with several clubs in just one season. Some managers do that but I intend to carry on here,” Basri told FilGoal. “Furthermore, the current unhealthy atmosphere which destabilizes Zamalek is no help to any manager.” Basri, a former Zamalek player, had a successful stint with modest club ENPPI. He guided them to Egyptian Cup triumph in 2005. Over the weekend Zamakel beat Baladeya 1-0 to reduce the pressure on the former Dutch international. The ‘White Knights’, the club named after a wealthy suburb in Cairo, supplied four players to the 23-strong ‘Pharaohs’’ squad that defeated Cameroon 1-0 in the Nations Cup final last Sunday for a record sixth title. With Amr Zaky sharing the honor of being among the tournament’s leading scorers at with four goals, APR defenders will have their hands full. Amr Zaki is fully fit to play against APR in the CAF Champions League after missing the weekend league fixture.The big forward had initially been ‘ruled’ out of first leg but he along with three other national heroes showed up in Kigali. The prolific hitman sustained a minor knock during Egypt’s 1-0 victory over Cameroon in the African Cup of Nations final. APR jets out of the country on Wednesday ahead of the weekend‘s continental against Zamalek in Cairo on Saturday. APR’s Secretary General Major Alex Sabiiti told Times Sport that the military side travel on Wednesday for Cairo. Come, the second leg national league champions APR will count on the services of defender Mbuyu Twite and first choice custodian Aime Ndizeye Ndanda. The pair was serving a one-match ban after earning red cards in last year’s champions’ league second round clash against Maranatha Fiokopo of Togo. APR will be trying to over haul a 2-1 deficit that they suffered in Kigali two weeks ago against the Egyptian side. The military side under former coach Jean Marie Ntagwabira saw off Zamalek after a 6-4 goal aggregate in 2004. The winner between APR and Zamalek will face the winner between Tonnere FC of Benin and Africa Sports of Ivory Coast.Ends
