Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek have announced the return of fan-favourite Portuguese head coach Jesualdo Ferreira to the club following the dismissal of Patrice Carteron.
Following a run of disappointing results, Patrice Carteron was removed from his position as Zamalek head coach, with Osama Nabih taking the helm as interim coach.
However, Nabih lasted just one game in charge in which he guided Zamalek to a last-minute victory over Future FC as now the Whites announced the return of former manager Jesualdo Ferreira.
Egyptian football fans will remember Ferreira for his time with Zamalek where he won the domestic double [Egyptian Premier League and Egypt Cup] in his only season in charge in 2015.
Despite his successes in the White Castle, the Portuguese coach had a very unstable and short reign in Zamalek due to the very disturbing relations he had with chairman Mortada Mansour.
The tensions were so high that Ferreira breached his contract in November 2015 and left Zamalek before the contract’s expiration date.
Since then, the soon to become 76-year-old Ferreira, had stints at Qatari side Al Sadd, Brazilian giants Santos, and most recently Primeira Liga side Boavista, leaving the Os Axadrezados just last June.
Despite his old issues with Mansour, Ferreira has agreed to return back to take charge of Zamalek, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal, according to the club president.
Mansour added that Ferreria will arrive in Egypt with an assistant coach, an analyst, and a fitness coach; however, his arrival date is yet to be revealed.
During his first spell in Cairo, Ferreria led Zamalek in 27 games on the domestic scene, winning 20, drawing four, while losing three as he lifted both the league title and the Egypt Cup while losing the Super Cup to arch-rivals Al Ahly.
However, the team didn’t witness much success in the continental competition, having been knocked out of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals after a 5-4 aggregate defeat by Étoile du Sahel.
Ferreria will find only six players still remaining at the club from his first spell, namely Gabaski, Mohamed Abdelshafy, Hazem Emam, Tarek Hamed, Ayman Hefny, and Youssef Obama.
Ahead of his time in Egypt, Ferreira had a long managerial career in Portugal, leading his country at the U20 and U21 levels, as well as giants Benfica, Porto, Sporting CP, and Sporting Braga, as well as having stints with the Angolan national team, Spanish club Malaga, and Greek giants Panathinaikos
