ZED FC explained

Clubname:ZED FC
Upright:0.7
Fullname:ZED Football Club
نادي زد لكرة القدم
Short Name:ZED
Founded: as FC Masr
as ZED FC
Ground:Cairo International Stadium
Capacity:75,000
Chairman:Onsi Sawiris II
Manager:Magdy Abdel Aaty
Season:2022–23
Position:Second Division Group B, Champions
Current:2023–24 ZED FC season
Website:https://www.zedsportsclub.com/
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ZED Football Club (Arabic: نادي زد لكرة القدم), formerly known as FC Masr, is an Egyptian professional football club based in Giza, Egypt. The club currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest tier in the Egyptian football league system.

The club was known as FC Masr since its establishment in 2009 until 24 November 2020, when ZED Egypt acquired the club and renamed it to ZED FC prior to the start of the 2020–21 season in Egypt. They previously played in the Egyptian Premier League only once during the 2019–20 season under the name of FC Masr; their last season under that name.[1]

History

2009–2014: Founding and time in lower leagues

On 1 November 2009, Egyptian football management company Masr for Football SAE announced the establishment of the club, with the aim of becoming a leading football club in Egypt concentrating on the youth system. As the 2009–10 season in Egyptian football had already started before November, the club couldn't participate in the lowest league in the Egyptian football league system and was available to enter the Egyptian Fourth Division from the next season. However, FC Masr registered for the league for the 2011–12 season, almost two years after the club was officially founded. Since the Egyptian Fourth Division is a regional league, FC Masr were placed into a group for teams from Cairo.

FC Masr enjoyed a good start to their first-ever season and were close to secure a place in the promotion play-offs, however all football related activities in Egypt were suspended (later abandoned) by the Egyptian Football Association after the Port Said Stadium riot occurred in February 2012 following a 2011–12 Egyptian Premier League match between Al Masry and Al Ahly, which resulted in the death of 74 attendants.[2] In the following season, the club competed in the same group and again finished first, earning themselves this time an immediate promotion to the Egyptian Third Division.

In the Third Division, and similar to the lowest league, FC Masr entered a group for teams from Cairo, Giza, El Monufia and other nearby governorates. The club qualified to the next round of the league, known as the Promotion Groups where teams are divided into groups of 6 teams per group, after leading their regional group. In the Promotion Groups, they succeeded in earning promotion to the Egyptian Second Division for the first time in their history; earning back-to-back promotions from the lowest league to the second-tier league in the league system in only two years.

In November 2020, the club was renamed to ZED FC after the club was purchased by ZED Sports. The new ownership structure implemented former captain Osama Nabieh as manager.[3]

ZED FC's academy won the "Best Academy in Africa" award at the 2021 Globe Soccer Awards.[4]

In December 2021, the club announced a partnership with English Premier League club Aston Villa (which is part-owned by ZED FC owner Naguib Sawiris' brother Nassef Sawiris) to allow young players from their academy to play in Europe.[5] In April 2023, this partnership was expanded and formalised as ZED FC became part of a three-way collaboration with Aston Villa and another part of Nassef Sawiris' V Sports group, Portuguese Primeira Liga club Vitória.[6] The partnership was further expanded in October 2023 with the addition of Japanese J1 League club Vissel Kobe.[7]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
2011–2015 DiadoraNone
2015–2020 Macron
2020–2021 Nike
2021–2022WE
2022– Umbro

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:

SeasonDivisionPosition
2012–13Egyptian Fourth Division1st ↑
2013–14Egyptian Third Division1st ↑
2014–15Egyptian Second Division4th (Group C)
2015–16Egyptian Second Division2nd (Group C)
2016–17Egyptian Second Division2nd (Group B)
2017–18Egyptian Second Division4th (Group B)
2018–19Egyptian Second Division1st (Group B) ↑
2019–20Egyptian Premier League18th ↓
2020–21Egyptian Second Division9th (Group B)
2021–22Egyptian Second Division4th (Group B)

Current squad

[8]

Managers

External links

Independent websites

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About us . 8 January 2016 . FC Masr . ar . https://web.archive.org/web/20180112034151/http://www.fcmasr.com/Arabic/OurCompany.aspx . 12 January 2018 . dead .
  2. Web site: In pictures: Jubilation in Cairo, riots in Port Said . The Independent . 26 January 2013 . 24 November 2020.
  3. News: Al-Aees. Shaimaa. 26 November 2020. Zed Sports acquires majority stake in FC Masr. Egypt Daily News. 30 December 2021.
  4. Web site: ZED FC (Best Youth Academy in Africa). 2021-12-30. Globe Soccer Awards. en-US.
  5. News: Ismail. Ali. 29 December 2021. Egypt's ZED academy reach agreement with Aston Villa. KingFUT. 30 December 2021.
  6. Web site: 3 April 2023 . Aston Villa confirm ZED FC partnership . 2023-04-03 . Aston Villa Football Club.
  7. Web site: Club . Aston Villa Football . 2023-10-19 . Aston Villa and Vissel Kobe seal exciting new strategic partnership . 2023-10-19 . Aston Villa Football Club.
  8. Web site: ZED: Squad . Egyptian Premier League . 31 December 2023.