Zamalek have closed the dressing room crisis involving striker Nasser Mansi, but decided to uphold the heavy financial penalty imposed on him, despite the player apologizing for throwing the team’s shirt on the ground following his goal against APR FC.
Mansi went from match-winner to the center of widespread controversy after scoring the 90th-minute winner from Isho’s cross, handing Zamalek a precious 1-0 away victory in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round.
A source inside Zamalek revealed that the coaching staff, led by Motamed Gamal, initially did not want to punish the player after Mansi denied inside the dressing room that he intentionally spat towards his manager during his contentious celebration.
However, Director of Football Abdel Nasser Mohamed insisted on taking disciplinary action due to Mansi throwing the Zamalek shirt on the ground, before the coaching staff agreed to levy a heavily described fine, without officially disclosing its amount.
Mansi took the initiative to apologize to the coaching staff, the director of football, and his teammates during the post-match dinner, also announcing his acceptance of the fine, while the club stressed that accepting the apology does not mean revoking the punishment.
The striker said in a message to the fans: “It was a wrong action on my part, and I sincerely apologize, and I accept any punishment,” affirming that pressure or emotional outbursts can never justify what he did.
Mansi added that Zamalek represents a home, family, and belonging to him, and that he will never forget the club and its fans’ support, promising to make amends on the pitch through hard work and performance in the coming phase.
Attention now shifts to the return leg scheduled for October 24 at Cairo International Stadium, where a win or a draw will suffice for Zamalek to reach the group stage, while Mansi hopes his crisis will quickly turn into a passing page following the goal that gave his team a vital advantage.
