Peseiro Replaces Gross as Zamalek Coach
Zamalek Club has decided to dismiss its Swiss coach Christian Gross and appoint Portuguese José Peseiro as his replacement, due to poor results, according to a source from the club’s board of directors on Thursday, speaking to AFP.
The source said: “Gross will lead the team’s training on Thursday evening in preparation for the Petrojet match on Sunday, then he will leave after receiving the severance payment.”
The source added: “We had a video meeting with Peseiro, and he welcomed the opportunity to coach Zamalek. The Portuguese coach will arrive in Cairo on Thursday with his assistants and will lead the team’s training on Friday. The full coaching staff will be announced later.”
Gross was appointed as Zamalek’s coach in December last year, succeeding another Portuguese coach, José Gomes, who moved to coach Al-Fateh in Saudi Arabia.
This was Gross’s second stint with Zamalek, having previously led the team during the 2019-2020 season.
Gross coached Zamalek in 14 matches, winning 9, drawing 3, and losing 2.
Zamalek won its last two league matches against Ismaily (2-0) and Pharco (1-0), and currently sits in third place with 26 points, trailing leaders Pyramids (30 points) and second-placed Al-Ahly (29 points).
Zamalek also reached the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup, a title they hold, and are awaiting their opponent in the draw at the end of this month.
This will be Peseiro’s second coaching job in Egypt, having previously managed Al-Ahly during the 2015-2016 season, specifically between October 2015 and January 2016, before resigning and moving to coach Porto in Portugal.
Peseiro (64) has previously coached Nacional, Sporting, Braga, Porto, and Vitória Guimarães in Portugal, as well as Panathinaikos in Greece, Rapid Bucharest in Romania, Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, and Al-Wahda and Sharjah in the UAE. He also coached the national teams of Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Nigeria.
Peseiro’s most recent coaching role was leading the Nigerian national team from 2022 to 2024, where he guided them to second place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast, after losing in the final to the hosts.
Peseiro has not coached any team or national team since leaving Nigeria in March.
