Refaat was added to Zamalek’s newly-formed backroom staff in the wake of the team’s stunning 3-1 defeat to Olympic that dented their chances of competing for the Egyptian League title.

Few days after his appointment, five regular first-team members were ordered to train separately from their teammates as a disciplinary measure.

It was announced that Refaat and head coach Hollmann took the decision jointly, but reports indicated that the former had the last word.

Refaat raised further doubts about the German’s coach future by clarifying his role in helping Zamalek recover from a dismal run of results.

“My interference in technical matters is part of my job description. I’m not here to just manage off-field matters,” he told FilGoal.com.

It remains to be seen whether Hollmann would accept to see his role undermined by the arrival of the former coach of Syrian side Gaish.

New Era

Refaat said there will be no room for leniency in the upcoming period.

He insisted that no pardon will be granted to Gamal Hamza, Ricardo Alves, Osama Hassan, Wissem El-Abdi and Mohamed Aboul-Ella – the punished players.

“The players who threatened to leave before and who used to cause problems will not return to normal training unless the technical staff feels it is the right time for that.”

The decision to exclude those players worried Zamalek fans that their team might find it difficult to fill the void left by them.

But Refaat allayed their fears by hinting at possible arrivals in January.

“There will be reinforcements when the transfer window reopens in a couple of months.”