Former Portuguese midfielder Petit shared insights on the Egyptian football scene, drawing parallels between his experiences with Al Ahly and Zamalek.
Speaking on Egypt’s Channel 1, Petit discussed the challenges faced by his compatriot Rui Vitória, the former coach of the Egypt national team, in the 2023 AFCON, and expressed admiration for new Zamalek boss José Gomes.
The former Boavista manager acknowledged Vitória as a formidable coach, attributing the lack of success in Egypt’s recent matches to the unpredictable nature of football.
He stated: “Vitória is a solid coach, but football is a matter of luck. He is one of the best coaches.
“I will not compare whether he is a coach for clubs or national teams. Vitória is one of the stubborn personalities and is well-known in Portugal. He achieved great success.
“His last matches with Egypt were not successful, and this is due to luck. A person tries to show a certain strategy, but this may not work with all players.”
When asked about Zamalek’s new boss José Gómes, he said: “He is wonderful and has great potential. I know Zamalek well. When I was a player, I came to Egypt. We faced Al Ahly, but we were hearing about the two strongest teams in Egypt, Al Ahly and Zamalek.
“José Gómes is one of the best coaches, and he can prove himself at Zamalek. I have seen the biographies of the previous coaches of the White Knights. I believe that the strongest coach is Gómes.”
The program host posed a question to him, “What do you remember about the match between Benfica and Al Ahly in Egypt about 16 years ago?” The Portuguese responded: “Unfortunately, they are bad memories for me because we lost 2-1.
“I remember very well when a team from Europe faces an African team. The issue is not as easy as some people imagine, especially Egypt and not Africa in general.
“Egypt has strong players and respected clubs like Al Ahly, known in Europe and internationally. We lost that match and they taught us to respect them more and more. We will continue to respect Egyptian clubs, whether players or coaches of European clubs. There must be respect for Egyptian clubs in particular like Al Ahly.
“Al Ahly doesn’t need to be compared to European clubs. It is a European club. Its fans are enough. As soon as you enter the stadium, the fans shake the stadium.
“You feel as if you are not in Egypt. It was able to beat Benfica, and I will never forget the crowd’s excitement and people’s love for Al Ahly. I remember their enthusiasm for the team. It is clear that Al Ahly has global popularity.”
