Shams' Al-Saied refutes Zamalek allegations

Shams' defensive midfielder Shawki Al-Saied denied that his side ruined his move to Zamalek by putting a hefty price tag on his head as the White Knights claimed.

كتب : Sherif Tarek

الجمعة، 12 يونيو 2009 - 16:18
Shams' defensive midfielder Shawki Al-Saied denied that his side ruined his move to Zamalek by putting a hefty price tag on his head as the White Knights claimed.

The 21-year-old put his signature to a five-year contract with the Cairo side days ago, however, the deal fell through all of a sudden.

Zamalek cited Shams' unreasonable financial demands as the reason why they backed out of the deal.

However, Al-Saied has a whole different version of the story, saying Zamelek's officials called off the signing because he is not tall enough.

Basketball Player

"After I penned a contract with Zamalek, one of their officials told me in a phone call the deal would be canceled because they need towering defenders," Al-Saied told FilGoal.com.

"I told him I'm not a basketball player, but he said that this is what the club need and then hung up on me.

"Later on, I was bemused by recent reports that Shams' hefty price tag and my permanent cruciate ligament injury urged Zamalek to backtrack on the deal.

"These allegations are absolute rubbish. There is nothing wrong with my knee, and Shams' conditions weren't absurd at all."

ENPPI or Gouna

Al-Saied referred that he had sustained a cruciate ligament tear at the age of 18, but insists he has long recovered and played regularly for Shams over last season.

"I suffered from a cruciate ligament rupture three years ago, but I've fully recuperated from that injury," he explained.

"I passed a medical at Zamalek before signing a contract; it was nothing more than a blood test."

When asked about his next move, the up-and-coming player said: "I respect and admire Zamalek, but now I'll either join Gouna or ENPPI, whom I snubbed earlier this summer."