Patrice Carteron leaves Zamalek amid rumors he is heading to Saudi Arabia

Cairo giants Zamalek parted company with French coach Patrice Carteron on Monday in a move that could also have repercussions in Saudi Arabia as well as Egypt. 

A 3-1 loss to Wydad Casablanca in the CAF Champions League on Saturday sealed the Frenchman’s fate with criticism over his tactics and second-half substitutions. The loss left the White Knights without a win in the first three games in Group D, meaning that the five-time title-winners are facing a first round exit from the continental competition if results don’t improve quickly.

At home, the defending Egypt Premier League champions are currently third in the domestic standings behind bitter rivals Al-Ahly and Pyramids.

Carteron is expected to be replaced by Portuguese tactician Jaime Pacheco for his third spell in charge of the club.

Carteron himself leaves Zamalek for a second time. The first exit came in December 2019 when joined Al-Taawoun in Saudi Arabia. In March 2021, the former Al-Nassr boss made the return journey to the Egyptian capital. Now he is leaving again and in his goodbye message to the fans, the 51-year-old was keen to leave his options open.

“I want to thank the Zamalek fans and the president of the club. I saw the support from everyone after my sad departure. I wanted to win a second trophy with Zamalek,” Carteron said. “I don’t want to start any problems with the club or resort to FIFA. I would like to terminate the contract amicably because I want to be able to return to the club at any time."

This being Zamalek, there was more drama surrounding the decision. On Sunday, the club’s President Mortada Mansour said that he had heard an audio message that he alleged came from Carteron. In it, the president claimed, the coach was talking