Zamalek sent an official request to the Egyptian FA asking for a reduction to the one-year international ban imposed against forward Mahmoud Abdul-Razeq 'Shikabala' last July. The 21-year-old playmaker has been handed a one-year ban from representing the national team, following the Olympic team's exit from the 2007 Pan-African Games, for disciplinary reasons. However, Shikabala played for the Egypt military team in the Military World Games this month, and has been a key factor for the Pharaohs triumph in India. Consequently, Zamalek hope Shikabala's level of discipline with the military team could grant him an exemption from the remaining period of his ban. "We handed in an official request to the EFA in order to reconsider Shikabala's one-year ban," Zamalek football director Ayman Mansour told FilGoal.com on Wednesday. "We hope the ban would be cut after what he has done with the military team." Rumors suggest that the EFA will probably accept Zamalek's request and overrule Shikabala's suspension before the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
