CAIRO: Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed lashed out at his Egypt and Zamalek teammate Essam Al-Hadari, accusing the Pharaohs’ number-one goalie of lying to the media.
Al-Hadari, who joined Zamalek in the close season from Ismaili, claimed that he would have started against Harras Hodoud in the Whites’ league opener if it wasn’t for an Al-Sayed tantrum.
The former Ahly keeper said manager Hossam Hassan changed his mind because Al-Sayed seemed to be agitated by his decision to keep him benched.
However, the Zamalek skipper vehemently denied Al-Hadari’s story, saying he needs to be ‘more reasonable’.
"I was included in the squad right from the start and no changes were made," Al-Sayed told FilGoal.com.
"Hossam Hassan is not a beginner to backtrack on a decision he made because it upset a player.
"If so, I would stay upset for the remainder of the season in order to guarantee the starting berth.
"The coaching staff have criteria on which the selection process is based.
"I’m Zamalek’s captain and no way would I make any troubles inside the club at the beginning of the season.
"If I did so, what would the youngsters do then?
"I really respects Al-Hadari and consider him one of the best custodians in Egypt and Africa, but he needs to be more reasonable."
Al-Sayed played the whole 90 minutes in the 2-2 draw between Zamalek and Hodoud.
The 33-year-old said he’s satisfied with his performance in the curtain raiser but assured that he wouldn’t mind playing second fiddle to Al-Hadari.
"It’s the technical staff’s decision. Al-Hadari is Egypt’s first-choice keeper but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will play regularly at Zamalek," Al-Sayed concluded.
