CAIRO: Zamalek interim president Galal Ibrahim defended the club’s decision to open a bank account for donations, saying Real Madrid once resorted to the same solution to tackle a financial deficit.
The Cairo side have suffered a crunch since well-off businessman Mamdouh was sacked as chairman, shortly after Mortada Mansour, also a former Zamalek chief, had an appeal against the legitimacy of the club’s previous presidential elections accepted by the court of law.
Later on, Ibrahim took charge of the Whites on a temporary basis until the upcoming elections in 2011. He barely came up with a solution to end their crisis though.
He was heavily criticized for opening the donation account but the life-long Zamalek supporter believes there is nothing else he can do.
"Those who say we are begging maybe should tell us what else to do," Ibrahim, who had recently revealed that Zamalek’s debts rose over LE 100 million, told Modern TV in a dejected tone.
"This board will stay in charge for a short while, so we cannot start on projects to generate money.
"There is no source of revenue; the club is state-owned and we are not getting any support.
"So I would like to tell the people who keep denouncing the donation idea during TV programs to think of a better one.
"Real Madrid got donations from their fans when they needed money and no one attacked them for that."
A number of Zamalek’s players, including Mohmoud Fathallah, Shikabala and Hani Saied, are tipped to leave soon, amid the five-time African champions’ inability to fulfill their financial demands.
"What if Mohmoud Fathallah left, or Shikabala? Who’s going to be responsible for this? It won’t be me," Ibrahim concluded.
