From left, Zamalek football director Abdel Wahed El-Sayed, forward Mostafa Shalaby, and midfielder Nabil Emad Donga
CAIRO – 30 October 2024: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pardoned three football players from Egypt’s Zamalek SC on Tuesday. The players had received prison sentences and fines for assaulting a stadium organizer in Abu Dhabi.
Zamalek football director Abdel Wahed El-Sayed, midfielder Nabil Emad Donga, and forward Mostafa Shalaby had been detained since the Egyptian Super Cup semi-final between Zamalek and Pyramids on 20 October at Al Nahyan Stadium.
“President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a directive to pardon the defendants involved in the recent football match incident,” the official news agency of the United Arab Emirates (WAM) reported.
“This gesture embodies the deep fraternal bond between the United Arab Emirates and the Arab Republic of Egypt, reflecting His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s steadfast commitment to reinforcing the ties of brotherhood that unite the two nations and their peoples,” the report added.
The Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports announced on Tuesday evening the successful communication between Egyptian and Emirati authorities, resolving the crisis involving the Zamalek trio.
The ministry stated on Facebook that the players are expected to return home within the coming hours after the complete resolution of their situation.
The statement stressed that the crisis resolution comes “within the framework of respecting legal frameworks and is based on the historic relations between the two sisterly countries, Egypt and the Emirates.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court ordered a one-month prison sentence and a fine of 200,000 dirhams against each of the three players.
The players were convicted of “assaulting the safety of public employees while they were performing their duties, committing acts that disturb public order and inciting disturbances in front of the crowd” during the Zamalek-Pyramids match, as stated by the Emirati Judicial Department in a post on X.
This showdown ended with Zamalek defeating Pyramids 5-4 in a penalty shootout, leading Zamalek to face Egypt’s Al Ahly in a fierce clash last Thursday that concluded with Al Ahly prevailing over Zamalek 7-6 in penalties in Abu Dhabi.