Gedo Row Continues After Admitting He Has Signed For Zamalek

The midfielder’s admission prolongs the tug-of-war between Ittihad and Zamalek over who legally owns the Egyptian star.
By James Momanyi

The ownership battle for the Egyptian star performer in the African Cup of Nations, Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’ continued yesterday when the player admitted that he had actually signed for Zamalek before he left for the tournament in Angola earlier last month despite his initial denial.

Zamalek recently said that Gedo penned a deal to sign for them prior to joining up with Egypt for AFCON duty and the player himself has now confirmed it.

“Yes, I signed a deal with Zamalek before the Nations Cup. They told me that my signature was necessary to prove that I wanted to join them,” Gedo said in an interview with FilGoal.com.

“I still have one year and a half remaining on my contract with Ittihad, so I can’t leave without their approval. I also want to remain with Ittihad beyond this season.”

Gedo’s announcement could land him in trouble because he signed for Zamalek and Ittihad at the same time.

Zamalek moved for Geddo after learning that his term was due to expire at the end of the season. Ittihad later extended that deal.

But Magdi Abdul-Ghani, the head of the Egyptian FA players committee, insisted Zamalek behaved in an inappropriate way.

“Even if Gedo’s deal was to expire at the end of the season, Zamalek had no right inducing him to sign a deal with them,” he told Modern Sport.

FIFA’s regulations state that a “professional shall be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or will expire within six months”.

The player has attracted a host of clubs in Europe and Asia after he emerged the top scorer in AFCON with five goals despite not starting any of the six games he played in the tournament.