The Egyptian Table Tennis Federation decided to “scratch” a coach from its records and permanently prevent him from practicing any activity related to the game, after it concluded that he “slapped” a young player following one of her matches in the World Hope Week Championship, which was held in the English city of Sheffield earlier this month, in an incident that sparked widespread debate in Egypt regarding methods of dealing with young athletes.
The Federation said that its board of directors held an emergency meeting yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss the incident before deciding to “write off” coach Mohamed Mumtaz, while referring the results of the investigations to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Egyptian Olympic Committee to take what each party deems appropriate within the scope of its jurisdiction.
The case exploded after Egyptian media widely circulated a video clip in which the coach appeared touching the face of player Zeina Farouk after one of her matches in the tournament designated for players under 12 years old.
The federation explicitly described the incident in its penalty statement as “the coach appeared to slap her in the face,” stressing its commitment to protecting the players’ rights and dignity, and its rejection of any behavior that conflicts with the moral values on which the sport is based.
The decision came amid pressure from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which gave the federation a 48-hour period to submit a detailed report on the incident after it announced that it had not received the results of the investigations despite previous directives to quickly complete the legal procedures.
The Ministry also confirmed that Minister Johar Nabil directed that immediate and decisive measures be taken, including suspending the coach, opening an official investigation, and providing the Ministry with its results.
Reuters could not immediately reach the coach for comment.
The case sparked divided reactions after the player's mother came out to defend the coach. She said in a video clip that the circulating incident was misinterpreted, adding that the coach was only trying to get the player’s attention and not attack her, stressing that Mumtaz has been supervising her daughter’s training for years and treats her “as if she were his daughter, and he has never mistreated her.”
The incident opened a broader discussion about the culture of training in Egyptian sports. Critics believe that the methods of physical or verbal reprimand against young athletes are often tolerated under the pretext of striving to achieve achievements, which has renewed calls for strengthening mechanisms to protect children and young athletes from any forms of abuse or mistreatment.
Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordanian Football Association, confirmed that his recent statements regarding the FIFA presidential elections, and the references they included to coercion, threats and bribery, were an affirmation of a general principle related to the integrity of the elections, and not an accusation directed at any person, stressing his respect for the Asian Football Confederation and its judicial bodies and his readiness to cooperate fully with any measures taken by the competent authorities.
Prince Ali said, in a statement issued on Wednesday, in response to the AFC’s statement issued on October 27, that his previous publication on October 25 aimed to clarify the voting mechanism in the FIFA presidential elections, which gives each member national association the right to cast its vote independently, in addition to expressing his position on the importance of transparency in football governance.
He explained that the last sentence of his post, which sparked controversy, expresses a principle shared by the entire football family, which is the necessity of not subjecting any elections to coercion, threats or bribery, stressing his adherence to this principle, and that what was stated in his statements was not an accusation against anyone.
He added that the competent authorities are the correct place to consider any concerns that may be raised in this regard, expressing his respect for the AFC and its judicial bodies, and his readiness to fully cooperate with any legal procedures.
The President of the Jordanian Federation stressed that the Jordanian Football Association will cast its vote in the FIFA presidential elections with complete independence, in accordance with what is stipulated in the statute of the International Federation, stressing that he will not make any additional comments as long as the issue is under consideration.
Prince Ali's clarification comes in the wake of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee starting its regular procedures to consider his previous statements regarding the work of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Continental Confederation, which was held last Friday in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, and the controversy it raised about transparency and the decision-making mechanism.
In his previous post, Prince Ali criticized what he described as turning the last day of the meetings into a political occasion at the request of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, after allocating the first two days to discussing football affairs. He objected to talk of a unified Asian position to support the re-election of the current president of the International Federation.
He also pointed out that the presidents of the continental federations do not have the right to vote on behalf of the national federations, and criticized what he described as the absence of opportunities to discuss, ask questions, and speak to the media during the work of the General Assembly.
On the other hand, the Asian Football Confederation, in an official statement on Tuesday, rejected these allegations, stressing that the meeting was held in accordance with the approved regulations and procedures, and that all member national associations had the opportunity to participate and express their opinions.
The Continental Federation explained that Prince Ali did not submit any request to intervene during the meeting. It also denied imposing any restrictions on the communication of representatives of the national federations with the media, stressing that allegations related to coercion, threats and bribery should not be made without reliable evidence or a factual basis.
According to German News Agency sources, the procedures initiated by the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee include asking the President of the Jordanian Federation to provide an official statement supported by evidence regarding what was stated in his previous statements.
These developments come against the backdrop of Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation, announcing his support for the re-election of Gianni Infantino as President of the International Federation, a position that raised Prince Ali’s objection regarding the independence of national federations in choosing their candidate for the presidency of FIFA.
