Hamdi has been banned by the club for one match, the 1-1 draw with Tersana, and fined EGP 20,000, following his furious reaction to being substituted in a friendly against Ahli Benghazi last week.

However, football director Sayed Karawan insisted that Hamdi's suspension will stand for the game against Telecom Egypt this week, and that the fine will also be applied.

"The final decision belongs to the technical staff, the suspension will be sustained and the fine will go on as well," the Ittihad football director told FilGoal.com.

"We refuse any interference within our work field, it’s a final decision."

The Alexandria-based club's board tried to convince Salah to overrule Hamdi's ban as the team will miss the services of suspended midfield duo Ahmed Hassan and Mahmoud Sobhi.

But the new Ittihad coach stood firm on his decision against the former Zamalek midfielder, who already has a frosty relationship with his coach.