Ghanaian forward Benjamin Acheampong says former Zamalek goalkeeper and players’ agent Nader El-Sayed is “paying the price” over his alleged involvement in a reported $100,000 settlement dispute between the Egyptian club and the player.
Reports in Egypt say El-Sayed was detained for questioning over an alleged financial irregularity linked to money Zamalek paid in an attempt to resolve its long-running disagreement with Acheampong.
The former Asante Kotoko player took legal action against Zamalek over unpaid wages and other financial entitlements after his time with the club between 2017 and 2018.
According to the reports, El-Sayed received $100,000 from Zamalek to arrange a settlement with Acheampong. He is also said to have signed an official receipt confirming that the money had been paid.
However, the proposed settlement was not completed. Acheampong was expected to sign a financial agreement in Zamalek’s favour but reportedly refused to do so, instead continuing with his legal case against the Cairo-based club.
Attempts by El-Sayed to reach an agreement with the Ghanaian forward failed. Acheampong subsequently pursued the money he was owed through football’s relevant authorities, including FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Speaking to Egyptian outlet Batolat, Acheampong said the dispute had ultimately been settled several years ago after he recovered his outstanding entitlements through FIFA and his lawyer.
Addressing the reports surrounding El-Sayed, Acheampong said the former goalkeeper was facing consequences for his alleged conduct.
“If the news is indeed true, then he (Nader El-Sayed) is paying the price for his greed, selfishness and what he did,” Acheampong said.
Acheampong’s lawyer, Roy, also criticised El-Sayed’s alleged role in the affair and stressed that the player was not responsible for how the money received from Zamalek was handled.
“Nader El-Sayed played a bad role in this matter,” Roy told Batolat.
He said El-Sayed should repay the money and insisted that Acheampong had no connection to the way the funds were dealt with after they were received from Zamalek.
“I think Nader El-Sayed should return the amount he received from Zamalek ($100,000), and the player has no connection to what he did with the club,” Roy said.
Roy added that Acheampong had received all the money owed to him by Zamalek and that the legal dispute had been concluded for several years.
“We received all of Acheampong’s dues from Zamalek, and the case has been closed for years,” he said.
