Outgoing Zamalek coach Mohamed Helmi said he will not be part of the new backroom staff after surprisingly handing in his resignation in the early hours of Saturday.
Helmi, who was in his second stint at Zamalek's helm, said he departed because his "dignity mattered than anything else", without elaborating further.
Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour hinted that some players had shown disrespect towards their coach, under whom the team won the Egyptian Super Cup at the expense of Cairo rivals Ahly but stumbled in the domestic league, falling 12 points behind their perennial challengers who played a match more.
Mansour said Helmi would be welcomed to assist the team's new boss, who is likely to be foreigner, but the 54-year-old insisted he will not be a member of the new technical staff.
"I love Zamalek, it's my home, and I can bear everything with the team except when it comes on my dignity so I decided to leave," Helmi told reporters on Saturday.
"I'm ready to leave at any time when the management asks me to go but I won't work as an assistant coach with a foreign manager."
Frenchman Alain Giresse is the favourite to succeed Helmi, Mansour said.
Zamalek, who are seeking to wrestle the title back from Ahly, lie third in the Egyptian Premier League table with 40 points.
