Nantes coach: Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed missing amid contract standoff

Published Jul 18, 03:50 PM UTC

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FC Nantes coach Michel Der Zakarian stated on Thursday that Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed has not reported to training since the team resumed on June 24, and the club does not know his whereabouts. Speaking ahead of a friendly match against Lorient, Der Zakarian said the club calls Mohamed but he sometimes does not answer, and that the player is not being paid. The 28-year-old Egyptian international, who has one year left on his contract, is being financially penalized for his absence. Nantes, relegated to Ligue 2 last season, won their first friendly 5-0 without Mohamed. The striker has scored 29 goals in 136 matches since joining Nantes in 2022.

Source report

The ongoing saga surrounding Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed shows no signs of resolution. The 28-year-old has failed to report to the Jonelière training center since the team resumed training on June 24.

Coach's Comments

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday — two days before Nantes' second friendly match against Lorient on Saturday (5 p.m.) at the Pérenno stadium in Vannes — head coach Michel Der Zakarian addressed the situation:

"We don't know where he is. We call him, sometimes he doesn't answer. The club calls him; I haven't called him. Sometimes there's no response. We're not paying him, that's all. The guy doesn't want to come to work; it's his fault, not ours. If he doesn't want to come train, he stays at home."

Financial Penalties and Contract Status

The Egyptian international (61 caps, 14 goals), who was not selected for the World Cup, is currently being financially penalized for his absence. Mohamed has one year remaining on his contract with Nantes.

Background

Nantes, relegated to Ligue 2 last season, won their first friendly match 5-0 against Fleury (L3) on Saturday
Mohamed was not present for that match
Following the game, Der Zakarian stated: "Today, we see a lot of things in football that are inconsistent. He decided to do this. We'll see when he comes back."
Since joining Nantes in 2022, Mohamed has scored 29 goals in 136 appearances across all competitions

Content shown outside its original language is machine translated; summaries may also be condensed.

Source

Mercato 2025 : l'actu des transferts footWestern

Original headline: « On ne sait pas où il est » : de nouveau questionné sur l'absence de Mostafa Mohamed à Nantes, Michel Der Zakarian toujours circonspect

Original language: FR-FR

Part of this Story

Egyptian striker Mostafa Mohamed goes missing from Nantes training after World Cup snub

See the full Story: all sources and camp coverage

People and interests

Egypt