History of Zamalek SC

Zamalek SC, commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an Egyptian sports club based in Cairo, known for its professional football team, and is considered as one of the most successful teams in Africa and one of the continent's giants. The history of Zamalek SC originates in 1911, when the club was founded by George Merzbach on January 5 as Qasr El Nile (Arabic, translation: The Nile Palace Club).

In 1913 the club moved its headquarters to the present-day intersection of 26 July Street and Ramses and became the Cairo International Sports Club "Zamalek", colloquially known as Nady El Qāhirah El Mokhtalat. The club was granted the honorific title in 1941 after King Farouk and became officially known as Farouk El Awal Club (transl. Farouk I Club), however, since the 1910s, Zamalek was the club's unofficial name and it became official after the 1952 Egyptian revolution.

Early years (1911–1913)

Main article: List of Zamalek SC seasons

Little is known about the very early years of the club. According to historians, the club was established by Belgian lawyer George Merzbach. On December 25, 1910, while attending Cairo Tramways Company's Christmas celebration, Merzbach realized that the company's guest house hosting the celebration on the Nile banks — then the Qasr El Nile casino — would be suitable as a sports club headquarters.

Ibrahim Allam "Juhainah", started the Egyptianization process of the club

During this time, Cairo's main sporting club, Gezira Sporting Club, was for the exclusive use of the British Army; subsequently, Merzbach decided to establish a new club for Egyptian, Belgian and foreign citizens. He did not find difficulties in establishing the club due to his strong ties within the Palace of Khedive Abbas II, as well as many friendships with senior officials of Egyptian society. He was also the private lawyer for Baron Empain and his Cairo Tramways Company. For the new club, he chose the name Qasr El Nile, which means Nile Palace. On January 5, 1911, the club was established, and it was officially opened on February 6 with Marzbech as its president.

Zamalek's forward Tewfik Abdullah

Howard Carter, an archaeologist and Merzbach's personal friend, served as vice president. Noah Amin Abdullah, Ahmed Mahmoud Azzam, Khoury Chalhoub (representative of the Cairo Tramways Company), and Paolo Esposito (representative of the Khedivial Palace) formed the rest of the board of directors. It was the first club in Cairo to emerge from non-English expatriate communities. An essential aspect of the club was that it was for all people and not exclusive to any specific social, economic, or ethnic community. It started and continued through World War I under Merzbech's presidency.

Egyptianization, unprecedented success (1913–1941)

C.I.S.C. football squad in 1921

In 1913, the club moved to a second headquarters at present-day intersection of the 26 July and Ramses streets and changed its name to Cairo International Sports Club (C.I.S.C.), which was colloquially translated to the Arabic name Nady El Qāhirah El Mokhtalat or simply Nady El Mokhtalat. The second president was Nicola Arfagi, who also played left wing for the club's football team.

Mohammed Haidar Pasha, Zamalek's 4th and longest serving president

The Sultan Hussein Cup started in 1917 as a competition between Egyptian football clubs and clubs of the Allied armies, including the British. Al Ahly SC — Cairo's other premier sports club — initially refused to take part, leaving C.I.S.C. as the only Egyptian team, but later changed course and joined as a sign of resistance to the British rule. The two clubs played two game in this year. The first took place on February 9, 1917, where Al-Ahly defeated home-team C.I.S.C. 1-0; the second took place on March 2, 1917, where the visiting C.I.S.C. won 1-0, and this was the start of the Cairo derby.

C.I.S.C. "Zamalek" membership card, 1928

The club came under severe scrutiny in the same year, board of directors of zamalek raised the twelve issues included that the club's land lease was expired; that the board of directors had not met for a long time, and consisted solely of non-Egyptians; and that there were no lists of members of the club. A general assembly was convened, which issued a decision of non-confidence in the board of directors. Consequently, the board was replaced by Egyptian citizens, including Dr. Mohamed Badr as president, Ibrahim Allam as treasurer, Mustafa Hassan, Fawzi, Captain Hassan and Abdo Al-Jabbawi.

Zamalek's striker Mostafa Taha

Zamalek's back left Ahmed Salem

In the early 1920s, C.I.S.C. became the strongest football team and the main major force in Egyptian football. In 1921, C.I.S.C. won the Sultan Hussein Cup, becoming the first Egyptian team to ever win a title. In 1922, the club won the inaugural season of the Egypt Cup (in a 2-1 victory over Britain's Schroeders), and the first Cairo League winners in 1923, followed by victories in the 1932, 1935 and 1938 seasons. The club also won the Cairo League in 1930 and 1932.

C.I.S.C.; winners of the Egypt Cup in the 1938–39 season

A new board was formed in 1923 with Lieutenant General Mohammed Haidar as president and Youssef Mohamad as secretary. In the winter of 1924, the club moved for the third time to Geziret Al Zamalek on the west bank of the River Nile, and west of Gezira island and became known as Cairo International Sports Club - Zamalek.

In this era, C.I.S.C. won several Egypt Cup, and Cairo League titles. More than a generation emerged in the team that lived in the memory of the Egyptian audience such as; Ali El Hassani, Galal Kuraitam, Abdelrahman Fawzi, Moustafa Taha, Mohamed Latif, Ali Riadh and others.

Domestic domination (1941–1952)

Zamalek football team, winners of 1940–41; Egypt Cup, Cairo League and King's Cup, 1941

Farouk I, King of Egypt and Sudan, who was a fan of Zamalek himself, bestowed royal sponsorship upon the club, the club was granted the honorific title and requested by the King to change its name to Nady Farouk El Awal (Farouk I Club). Accordingly, Ismail Bek Shirin (of the Muhammad Ali dynasty) took the post of the vice president.

King Farouk I, namesake and honorary president of Nady Farouk El Awal

Zamalek started the 1940s with dominating all the major football tournaments in Egypt, they won the 1939–40 and 1940-41 Cairo League consecutively and the 1940 King's Cup. With Mohamed Latif still on the pitch and with the help of Tewfik Abdullah, the head coach and Zamalek's forward in the 1920s, the team was unbeatable.

This period witnessed the club's biggest victories in the history of the Cairo derby (contested with Al Ahly), with a pair of 6–0 wins in the 1941–42 Cairo League and 1944 Cup Final. This record scoreline has not been broken since.

Zamalek's Omar Shendi and Abdel-Karim Sakr

The 1943 Egypt Cup was won jointly by Zamalek and Al Ahly following the cancellation of the final match. Zamalek won the Cairo League for five times in the 1940s, seasons won by Zamalek included 1940–41, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1946–47 and 1948–49. A new generation of talents emerged in Egypt, the majority were in Zamalek, such as Yehia Emam, Hanafy Bastan, Omar Shendi, Zoklot, Abdel-Karim Sakr and Mohsen El-Sehaimi

Zamalek Sporting Club and the post-1952 period (1952–1960)

Zamalek squad in 1952

Following the 1952 Egyptian revolution and the overthrow of King Farouk, the club was renamed Zamalek Sporting Club (Zamalek SC) after the area where the club was situated. Soon after, the club moved to its current location on 26 July Street in Cairo, 500 meters west of the Zamalek bridge, occupying an area of 35 acres (140,000 m²) and hosting 24 different sports.

A new board was formed with Mohammad Shawky as president and secretary and Mohammad Hassan Helmy as assistant secretary. At the time, the rules required that half the club board be changed every year, and Helmy took the position of secretary-general. In 1954, the club's grounds needed renovations, so the board sought a businessman to take over the club and guide the renovation.

Zamalek's striker Alaa El-Hamouly

Zamalek's midfielder Raafat Attia

Abd El Hamid El Shawarbi took the presidency and, although, he was elected for a second period, he was not able to do the job he wanted in the club management. While he was out of the country, Haidar Pasha and Haj Sayed El Annany contributed to forming the VIP and first-class stadium stands; when he came back, he resigned and Shawky became president of the board again. The idea of bringing a businessman to help the club did not subside, thus, businessman Abd El Latif Abo Regeila became the club president in 1956; by then, the rules had been changed allowing the board to stay for 3 years.

Abdel-Latif Abu-Rajelha, Zamalek's 8th president

Once again, Shawky stepped down. Although Regeila was re-elected for a second term, he had to leave Egypt after he lost his money due to the governmental policy against private property. Alwe El Gazzar, the owner of El Sheikh Sherieb Company and then president of the board of the Coca-Cola Company, was then elected president in 1961.

Sustained success (1960–1984)

Sharif El-Far shaking hands with Real Madrid's captain Paco Gento before their friendly match on the occasion of celebrating 50 years on Zamalek's establishment, 10 March 1961

Hamada Emam, Zamalek's forward in the 1960s

With the beginning of the 1960s, a new generation emerged in Zamalek and the Egyptian football, such as Ahmed Rifaat, Nabil Nosair, Hamada Emam, Aldo Stella, Ahmed Mostafa, Mahmoud Abou-Regaila, Abdou Noshi, Samir Qotb. The popularity of Zamalek increase in the 1960s, and that this era was one of the first periods in which competitions and conflicts occurred between the Zamalek and Al-Ahly, due to a number of writers publishing articles that inflamed one party at the expense of the other. Al-Ahly was then going through a difficult period in its history, and there were a large number of issues related to corruption that struck the Egyptian sports field, which were embodied by the journalist writer Yusuf Sibai in one of his novels and several articles.

Zamalek squad in 1964

Abdellatif Abu Regeila, who was an Egyptian businessman and pioneer of public transport buses in Cairo. During his reign as Zamalek's president, the Zamalek Stadium was constructed, as well as the social building continued as the club's official president until 1961. In 1961, Zamalek invited Real Madrid to play a match in Cairo. Hamada Emam was a popular player on the club who helped raise the club's profile. In 1966, Zamalek invited West Ham United F.C. to play in Cairo, West Ham were the title holders of the 1964–65 European Cup Winners. Zamalek made a phenomenal match and hammered the European champions with a score of 5–1, at a time when the English club was at the peak of its glory and playing in its ranks were six of the stars of the England national team, headed by Bobby Moore. Hamada Emam scored a hat-trick, Taha Basry and Abdel-Karim El-Gohary scored the other two goals.

Zamalek SC team in 1969

In 1962, there was a new board with Hassan Amer as a president, emeritus deputy Shawky, Mohamed Latif, Galal Kereitam, Mahmoud Emam, and Mahmoud Hafez. Amer stayed as president until the 1967 war. After the war, Zamalek hosted Ismaily SC and Al Masry SC clubs, as well as the other Suez Canal teams at its grounds. In 1967, Minister of Youth and Sports Talat Khairy decided that the club boards would be appointed rather than elected, and Helmy took the presidency and was the first Egyptian sportsman in Egypt to become a president of a club. He remained as president until July 1971 where the rules were changed to allow board elections again and to forbid anyone from being president if they had already held to presidency for two consecutive terms.

Mohammed Hassan Helmy

Tawfeek El Kheshen took over the presidency and the honorary presidency was given to Helmy. The 1970s generation was one of the best generations of football in Zamalek, and it included legendary players in the history of Egyptian and Arab football. This era’s team included talented players such as Taha Basry, Hassan Shehata, Farouk Gaafar, Ibrahim Youssef, Mahmoud Saad, Ali Khalil and Mahmoud El-Khawaga.

Zamalek's stars Hassan Shehata, Farouk Gaafar and Taha Basry

In 1973, Mohammed Hassan Helmy was elected president. Mohammed Hassan Helmi is one of the most famous members of the club now known as Zamalek. He joined Zamalek in 1934 as a player in his youth, where he played for fourteen years. he won the Cairo League for six times in 1940, 1941, 1944 and 1947, and the Egypt Cup five times in 1935, 1938, 1941, 1943, and 1944. He was also selected to represent Egypt at the 1936 Olympics. Following his career as a player, he was active member in the Zamalek administration, eventually serving as president from 1967 through 1984, except a year in 1971-1972 of El-Kheshen. Helmy also held positions with the Egyptian Football Association, including the presidency, and served as referee, both domestically and internationally. He refused compensation for his administrative activities, drawing a salary from his position in the Ministry of Agriculture instead.

Zamalek SC team in 1975

In 1975 Egypt Cup Final, which Zamalek played against Ghazl El Mahalla, they won by a score of 1–0, Shehata scored the winning goal giving his team their 15th title and himself the first one. In the 1978–79 league season, Zamalek's striker Ali Khalil had a famous incident of high integrity, when he scored an incorrect goal after he shot the ball which passed through the torn outer net and landed in the goal against Ismaily in a famous match. Unfortunately, this goal was important in the chase for the title, however he encountered the referee Ahmed Bilal, the referee of the match, and told him that the ball was not a goal, and the goal was canceled after it had been awarded amid major objections from the Ismaily players and fans. Ali Khalil was an outstanding goal scorer who scored 94 goals for Zamalek in 9 seasons. He was one of Egypt's prominent players of this era. Khalil scored in both of the 1977 and 1979 Egypt Cup finals, he was nicknamed "Dangerous Ali" by Zamalek fans. He was the Egyptian Premier League's top scorer in 1976-77 and 1979–80 seasons.

Zamalek SC team in 1978

Zamalek won the Egypt Cup for another two times in the 1970s, in 1977 and 1979. Besides the Egyptian Premier League trophy in the 1959–60 season. Zamalek won the Egyptian Premier League in 1963–64, 1964–65, 1977–78, and 1983–84. The team also won the October League Cup, which is the tournament that was held as an alternative to the Egyptian Premier League because of Egypt hosting the 1974 African Cup of Nations.

African Uprising (1984–2004)

Zamalek players Ayman Younes (left) and Ashraf Kasem lifting the first African Cup of Champions Clubstrophy for the club in the 1984

Hassan Amer became club president again in 1984, in the same year that Zamalek won their first CAF Champions League title after beating Nigeria's Shooting Stars S.C. 2-0 at Cairo and 0-1 at Lagos. A second title came in the 1986 season. Hassan Abo el Fetouh took over from Amer in 1988. During his presidency, the Ministry of Youth and Sports introduced a new rule increasing the number of elected board numbers to ten (although this was reduced again in 1990), and the club built several new buildings, including a gymnasium that is considered to be one of the biggest in the Middle East. Fetouh also increased the funding for most of the club's sports teams and helped achieve several championships. After Fetouh's death in 1990, Galal Ibrahim became temporary president until September 1990, when Nour El-Dali was elected.

Ibrahim was chosen again as president in 1992. New rules required that the vice treasurer be selected by board members; Hamada Emam was selected by default, while Abdel Hamid Shaheen was elected treasurer. The board members were Ahmed Shereen Fawzy, Mahmoud Marouf, Mohamad Fayez El Zummur, Raouf Gaser, and Tarek Ghonaim. An additional requirement was that the board was to have two members under the age of 30, leading to Samy Abo El Kheir and Ihab Ibrahim being elected. The final board members, chosen by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, were Mohamad Amer, General Hanafy Reyad, and Farouk Abo El Nasr.

Zamalek's defender Ibrahim Youssef

Zamalek's striker Gamal Abdel Hamid

Zamalek won their third CAF Champion's League title in the 1993 season. By 1994, Abdel Hamid Shaheen was unable to continue his treasurer duties due to sickness, but the board chose to keep him in his position in honor of his devotion to the club and Farouk Abo El Nasr was appointed to take over his duties.

In 1995, four members of the board — Mahmoud Marouf, Mohamad Fayez El Zummur, and Dr. Mohamad Amer — were removed due to their absences from six board meetings. They were replaced by Mortada Mansour, Mahmoud Abdallah, Mounnir Hassan, and Ibrahim Latif. The Ministry objected to having a board made up of both appointed and elected members, so Hassan and Latif forfeited their positions.

Mohamad Amer and Farouk Abo El Nasr were elected in their wake, in support of their abilities and dedication. Shereen Fawzy was selected to be treasurer until the next election. Following the events of the '95/96 season between Zamalek and Ahly, season 95_96 season a one-year temporary club board was selected with Kamal Darweesh as president, Abd EL Aziz Kabil as vice president, Mahmoud Badr El Deen as treasurer, and Hanafy Reyad, Magdy Sharaf, Ismail Selim, Azmy Megahed, and Mohamad Abd El Rahman Fawzy as board members.

Hazem Emam, Zamalek's attacking midfielder, nicknamed the "Emperor"

Kamal Darwish was the president of Zamalek club for two terms from 1996 to 2005. He presided over one of Zamalek's most successful periods across all sports, including football. In January 2001, Hazem Emam returned from Europe and joined Zamalek, he made an impressive performance with Zamalek and helped the team in his second spell with outstanding goals and assists. Ahmed Hossam Mido, considered one of Egypt's best players, started his football career in 1999 at Zamalek, at the age of 16. After retiring in 2013, he became Zamalek's manager and won the 2013–14 Egypt Cup as the youngest Egyptian coach to win a championship.

Zamalek won 16 football championships during his reign, meaning that Darwish is Zamalek's most successful president in its history. Zamalek was the first Egyptian team to qualify for the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship in Spain (although this was cancelled by FIFA due to funding issues). The club won the African Champions League in 2002, two African Super Cup seasons in 1996 and 2003, and the first two Egyptian Super Cup seasons in 2001 and 2002. Zamalek also won the Egyptian Premier League in the 2000–01, 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, and the Egypt Cup in the 1999 and 2002 seasons.

Regression (2005–2013)

In 2005, Egypt's Minister of Sports dismissed several club boards of Zamalek SC which led to organizational uncertainty because of the changes of board of directors within the period between 2005 and 2013. This period saw only two championships won by Zamalek (Egypt cup 2008 and 2013 Egypt Cup).

The club experienced administrative instability and had several different presidents over just a few years. Mortada Mansour assumed the presidency in 2005 but his board was dissolved shortly after. He was succeeded by Morsi Atallah; Mansour then took the presidency again after but this was also short-lived, as the National Sports Council intervened and appointed a board headed by Muhammad Amir.

Mohamed Amir's term lasted for a year until elections were held in May 2009, which resulted in the election of Mamdouh Abbas as the club's president. Abbas' board was dissolved in 2010 after Mansour obtained a court ruling stating that the elections were rigged, so an interim council, headed by Jala Ibrahim, was installed. Mansour eventually dropped his lawsuit and Abbas returned to the presidency. He was succeeded by Taher Abu Zaid, who then formed an interim council headed by Kamal Darwish.

Reconstruction and reform

Mortada Mansour's Era (2014–2020;2021-present)

Zamalek SC's squad (white shirts) for the 2019 CAF Confederation Cup Final against RS Berkane

In 2014, Mortada Mansour became Zamalek's president for the third time, and Zamalek rebounded. In his first year, Zamalek won the 2014 Egypt Cup Final (defeating Smouha SC 1–0). The 2014–15 Egyptian Premier League season was equally successful, with players such as Tariq Hamed and Ayman Hefny helping the team win the championship by a nine-point lead with only one loss. Since 2014, the club has won 11 championships.

In the 2015 Egypt Cup Final, Zamalek defeated rival team Al Ahly SC (2-0) and achieved their third consecutive championship title. They then qualified for the semi-finals of the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup.

In 2016, Zamalek finished runner-up in the CAF Champions League and won the Egypt Cup and the Egypt Super Cup.

Two more Egypt Cup titles followed in 2018 and 2019. Zamalek won four other titles in 2019: the CAF Confederation Cup, the Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup, the Egyptian Super Cup and the CAF Super Cup.

Stadium disasters

Main article: Zamalek disaster

1974 Zamalek disaster

On February 17, 1974, at least forty-eight people died in a stampede at a friendly game against Czechoslovakian club Dukla Prague at the Helmy Zamora Stadium.

Another tragedy took place on February 8, 2015, when twenty supporters were killed during a confrontation with police outside the 30 June Stadium.

See also

• List of Zamalek SC records and statistics
• Football in Egypt