Portuguese coach Yannick Ferreira of Zamalek faced severe criticism following the derby defeat to Al Ahly in the Egyptian Premier League. Al Ahly defeated their eternal rival Zamalek in a top Egyptian football match after a comeback, overturning a first-half deficit of one goal to win 2-1. The substitute Hussein El Shahat scored the equalizer and then caused a penalty from which Mahmoud Trezeguet scored the winning goal.

A wave of anger spread among Zamalek stars and fans towards Ferreira, blaming the Portuguese coach for the heavy loss and demanding his departure from the White Castle.

Media personality and former Zamalek player Ahmed Hossam Mido said Ferreira should have been dismissed after losing 2-1 to Wadi Degla in the league, noting that Zamalek played their worst match against Al Ahly in 15 years, and that Al Ahly’s win would bring them back into the title race. He added on his program “Oudat Al-Labes” on Al-Nahar channel that Ferreira lacks the personality of Zamalek and should have been dismissed immediately after the Wadi Degla match.

Retired Zamalek star Mahmoud Abdelrazek Shikabala agreed with Mido, calling for Ferreira’s immediate dismissal, especially since he has a weak personality and constantly creates problems with players.

Shikabala added that the current Zamalek coach is responsible for the loss to Al Ahly after the team was leading in the first half and is no longer suitable to lead the team due to several wrong decisions, particularly his habit of excluding players after disputes, as happened before the derby with Chico Banza.

Former Zamalek and Al Ahly player Reda Abdel Aal also called for Ferreira’s departure, confirming that he is not fit to coach Zamalek as he fails to read matches well, and that Al Ahly regained confidence and returned strongly to compete for the league title after their derby win.

Al Ahly raised their points to 15, moving up to third place in the Egyptian league standings from 8 matches with one game postponed, while Zamalek remained at the top with 17 points from 9 matches. The title race heated up between Zamalek, Al Ahly, and Al Masry who have 15 points, with Wadi Degla in fourth place also with 15 points, followed by Pyramids with 14 points from only 7 matches.