Khalaf Al Habtoor denies plans to buy Zamalek

Khalaf Al Habtoor has denied plans to buy Zamalek. In an official statement, the Emirati businessman said he had neither held negotiations nor made financial offers to invest in the club. His clarification, published on 3 November 2026, puts an end to speculation about his reported interest in Zamalek.

Al Habtoor said he was surprised to see the discussions resurface. He described the reports about him as “absolutely untrue and without any basis, near or far”. He also said he had made no purchase or investment offer and had taken part in no negotiations. The sums and agreements mentioned in those reports, he added, did not reflect reality.

The denial follows reports circulating a few months earlier that an offer of 3 billion Egyptian pounds had been made to acquire a stake in Zamalek’s football company. Last July, the club’s former president, Mortada Mansour, had raised the reports. At the time, a source on Zamalek’s board denied that the club knew of any offer or official negotiations.

The renewed discussion coincided with Zamalek’s work on setting up a football company and considering offering investors stakes in it. The move was part of the club’s efforts to address its financial difficulties. Al Habtoor’s denial therefore comes amid debate about opening the club’s football operations to investors, but does not confirm any connection between him and that plan.

The businessman said he respects Zamalek and its supporters and wants to contribute to sport and young people. He pointed, among other things, to a tribute paid to a national football team after its World Cup participation. However, he stressed the difference between such support and investing in a club: “I have no investments in this area, I do not claim to have the experience needed to manage and develop sports clubs, and I have no plans to enter it.”

Al Habtoor also urged the media to check information before publishing reports linking his name to projects or investments, and not to present inaccurate claims as facts.