The criticism directed at Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national football team, escalated following the performance that was described as “frustrating” and “shocking” in his match yesterday evening (Friday) at Cairo Stadium, against his Angolan counterpart, which ended in a goalless draw.
Hassan, who was considered one of the national team’s historical stars when he was a player, was accused of “mishandling the stars.” He previously justified not including Mustafa Mohamed, the current Konyaspor and former French club player for Nantes, because he is a “professional quarter.”
It was also surprising that the technical director removed Mohamed Salah from the field in the 61st minute of the match and introduced a substitute for him, in a decision that raised the astonishment of sports analysts, in addition to not starting Omar Marmoush, and keeping him on the reserve bench until the 40th minute.
Mahmoud Abdel Razek (Shikabala), in statements he made to the “Al-Kora with Fayek” program presented by the journalist Ibrahim Fayek on the MBC Misr channel, said that “Hossam Hassan’s ego is high,” as he put it, while Mahmoud Fathallah, the former general coach at the Pyramids Club, confirmed that “Hassan wanted to appear as if he was not afraid to change a star the size of Salah, and that he could dispense with a star the size of Marmoush,” as he put it.
Media reports quoted sources confirming that “Mohamed Salah felt angry about the decision to expel him; Especially since he was performing well, even if he did not appear with the usual ferocity because he was pushed deep into the field and not in his preferred position, which is the right wing,” while Hossam Hassan, in the press conference that followed the match, defended his decision as “a technical point of view.”
In a later development, Salah left the national team camp to return to Türkiye. He recently joined the Trabzon team, in a move that many linked to his change, while the Egyptian Football Association issued a statement in which it said, “Salah’s absence from the national team’s match against South Sudan is the Federation’s decision, with the aim of relieving him from playing on the artificial grass there.”
Sports critic Ashraf Mahmoud considered Hossam Hassan’s statements in the press conferences he holds at major gatherings for the national team as “a constant source of crises and confusion in the sports street, in a way that negatively affects the football team and threatens to create a gap between it and the fans,” adding to Asharq Al-Awsat that “Hossam should focus only on technical matters and matches, and completely stop trying to brag about his role in making a difference with the players.”
Mahmoud continued: “My sincere advice to Captain Hossam Hassan is to hold his tongue. He does not intend to insult or offend, but he gets himself into many unnecessary crises, and for free, because of his many comments that take him away from his main mission.”
These developments came in conjunction with the crisis of Hossam Hassan’s description of Mohamed El-Shenawy, the Egyptian national team captain and Al-Ahly club goalkeeper, as “finished” in the context of his talk about his resort to recruiting players to the national team with the aim of “technically preparing them for their clubs,” as he described it.
For its part, Al-Ahly Club issued a statement in which it declared that it “rejects any transgression, in form and substance, against any player who represents the club, and also rejects any infringement on his artistic and literary value.” Especially the captain of Al-Ahly and the Egyptian national team, Mohamed El-Shenawy,” according to the statement issued after the end of the Angola match.
The statement added, “With regard to the opinion of the national team’s technical director that the Egyptian clubs do not offer football, this is an underestimation of the football clubs and competitions organized by the Egyptian Federation and the Professional Clubs Association, and he was obligated not to address the Al-Ahly team within his limited vision,” according to the statement.
Sports critic Ahmed Sami considered that “the way (the Pharaohs) played against Angola was not appropriate. The opposing coach, Aliou Cisse, was able to outperform Hossam in all aspects. And it made matters worse when the latter made a mistake in his changes. Whether by Mahmoud Saber leaving in the 40th minute, or by delaying the arrival of Barcelona player Hamza Abdel Karim.
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat, “The Egyptian national team needs a state of replacement and renewal, and better monitoring of the level of players in the Egyptian League. Also, facing the teams of Australia, Iran, and even Belgium and Argentina is very different from facing the African teams, which is what Hossam must address in the upcoming matches.”
Veteran Bahraini marathon runner Shitayeh Habti won her first gold medal at the Asian Games on Saturday in Japan, 16 years after she won silver in the 10,000-meter race during the Guangzhou Games.
The mother of three children was able to outperform China's Serene Chumu and Japan's Mikuni Yada, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:27:31 hours.
Habti raised Bahrain's tally to five gold medals, occupying ninth place in the overall standings, which China leads.
“Maybe it's time to retire,” Habti said. “I am 36 years old, but my goal in my last competition is to participate in the World Championships (2027).”
The Ethiopian native added: “I have three children, and my second son used to tell me: ‘Mama, don’t run.’” He wants me to stay home. But he will be very happy now.”
The marathon race witnessed calm events at the beginning before concluding with a wonderful finish, so that Bahrain won its third consecutive gold medal in this race.
Shitay Habti implemented a patient strategy, as she closely monitored the early starts imposed by the Japanese and Chinese runners before launching a decisive attack in the final kilometers to win the gold with a time of 2:27:31 hours.
Talking about keeping calm during the grueling race, Habti said: “I knew I had to stay calm when the pace picked up at the beginning. My coach told me to trust my training and wait for the right moment to go. Winning the gold medal for Bahrain is an indescribable honor.”
On the other hand, Tshoumo won the silver medal after a strong competition, recording her best time this season with a time of 2:27:43 hours, just 12 seconds behind Habti.
“I gave it my all today,” Serengchwomo said. The pace wasn't very fast at first, and she tried to hold on to the group as the gold medalist took off. “I am very happy to achieve the best number this season and proud to stand on the podium.”
Japan's Mikuni Yada completed the podium by winning the bronze medal with a time of 2:27:56 hours.
Although the Japanese team will undoubtedly be disappointed, given their good knowledge of the track and their advantage of the favorable conditions, the marathon races remain a completely different challenge, proving that local knowledge alone is not enough to win this distance.
