A new chapter in the series of escape of Egyptian athletes in Europe was written by the kickboxing player, Mohamed Abdel Fattah, who failed to return with the Egyptian delegation from Italy after the end of the World Junior and Youth Championship competitions that were held in the city of Jesolo during the period from 18 to 27 September (September) 2026, during which Egypt achieved 8 medals (6 silver and 2 bronze).
The new incident comes a month after the wrestlers Muhammad Al-Shami and Ziad Hajjaj left the official mission abroad, in a crisis that brought to the forefront the issue of talent escape, which called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to refer the two incidents to the Public Prosecution to take whatever legal measures it deems appropriate, and to investigate the circumstances and administrative and legal responsibilities.
The head of the Egyptian Kickboxing Federation, Mohamed Sobeih, said in television statements that the 15-year-old player, Mohamed Abdel Fattah, who won the silver medal in the tournament, disappeared while his teammates were watching the final match of player Basmala El-Arabi.
He said that what the player did was “a very sad matter,” adding that the player was living his moments of global coronation, while at the same time he was planning not to return with the mission, which he described as a shock to everyone after the achievement he achieved.
According to Al-Ittihad’s account, the Egyptian national team players were present in the stands to support the Egyptian player, especially after what Al-Ittihad considered that she was being subjected to arbitration injustice, before Mohamed Abdel Fattah informed his colleagues that he was heading to the bathroom, then he disappeared and did not return to the mission again.
The Federation confirmed that its president, Mohamed Sobeih, informed the relevant authorities in Cairo immediately upon discovering the player’s absence. An official report was drawn up at the Egyptian embassy in Italy, and all procedures followed in such cases were taken.
The Federation indicated that the player’s passport was in the possession of the head of the delegation, like the rest of the team members, and that his clothing bag and personal belongings remained inside the hotel, which added more mystery to the incident.
The Board of Directors of the Egyptian Kickboxing Federation announced that the Legal Department was assigned to complete all necessary legal procedures against the person responsible for this behavior, while continuing coordination with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the competent authorities to follow up on developments in the situation.
Immediate investigation
For its part, the Ministry of Youth and Sports opened an investigation into the player’s absence. Ministry officials moved as soon as they received notification of the incident. Contact was made with the Egyptian Kickboxing Federation to determine the full circumstances, while the Ministry requested an official and detailed report from the head of the mission, including details of the player’s disappearance and the measures that were taken immediately upon discovering his absence.
The Ministry confirmed that it will study the report before making any decisions, with the aim of determining the truth of what happened and determining the extent of any violations or administrative shortcomings during the mission’s presence in Italy.
The past few years have witnessed incidents of the escape of Egyptian athletes, most notably the Egyptian Greco-Roman wrestling national team player, Ahmed Fouad Baghdouda, who fled to France after achieving the silver medal in the African Greco-Roman wrestling championship, which was held in Tunisia in 2023, as well as the Egyptian wrestler Ibrahim Ghanem, known as “Al-Wansh,” who used to play for the Egyptian national team, and decided in 2017 to travel to France, obtain French citizenship, and play for the French national team.
The recent incident once again brings to the forefront questions about the phenomenon of athletes’ backwardness and escape, and whether it reflects broader challenges that require reviewing the mechanisms of supervision, follow-up, and awareness within sports federations.
Sports critic Islam Al-Bashbishi describes the repeated cases of escape of some Egyptian athletes during foreign participation as a “worrying phenomenon,” as it reflects a continuous drain of sports talent, especially in individual sports, and its transformation into administrative crises that threaten the future of champions and the national sports system.
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that the main crisis always remains the weakness of rewards and care, compared to the amount of effort and sacrifices, in addition to temptations from abroad thanks to the presence of better sporting and living opportunities and securing the future.
Islam Al-Bashbishi points out that the recent recurrence of such incidents negatively affects the reputation of Egyptian sports, through a decline in international confidence in the competence of federations and their ability to manage and secure missions. It may also lead to a tightening of travel and visa procedures, in addition to the imposition of fines or administrative penalties if negligence or violations are proven. At the same time, these incidents may push the embassies of European countries to tighten restrictions on granting visas and link them to strict financial guarantees, which will cost the treasury additional burdens. It will complicate future mission travel.
Portuguese Helio Souza, coach of the Kuwaiti national team, stressed that his project with “Al-Azraq” aims to build a team capable of competing for championships in the future, calling for not only looking at the immediate results, before confronting Oman in the Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27”.
Souza said during the press conference: “The Saudi League is among the five best leagues in the world, and they have players in Europe, and this gives them an advantage over us. If you do not want to acknowledge the differences between us and others, then for 15 years we have not achieved any championship, and you are still thinking about the past... forget the past.”
He added: “Competitors participate in major tournaments, and Qatar and the UAE participate in global competitions such as CONCACAF, and we are trying and working to develop our level.”
Souza stressed that his goal goes beyond achieving victory in one or two matches, saying: “It is not important that we win in one or two matches. We plan to win championships.” This is my thinking and these are my plans, whether you like it or not. "I'm just thinking about my plans and training, and we're working 24 hours a day."
He continued: “The results may not come, and this is normal. Why all this criticism? What if we had scored a goal against Iraq and won, would these criticisms have appeared? We must appreciate what the officials and players do. Look at what the Saudis said after the first match about the difficulty of the confrontation. Think and ask...the team is doing everything it has to achieve the best.”
The Kuwaiti coach criticized the focus on results rather than performance, saying: “You only talk about winning, not about the method. You only think about scoring a goal and winning, and this is a negative outlook. You don't talk about the positive aspects, and about the players performing at high levels. We must support them so that they grow day by day and continue to develop.”
For his part, Yousef Al-Haqqan, the Kuwaiti national team player, stressed the importance of spirit in the performance of “Al-Azraq,” and said: “The nature of the Kuwaiti player is to play with spirit, and this is due to the confidence of the coach, and we aspire in the future to provide positive performance and results.”
