In the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, Egypt lost 0-1 to Senegal and failed to reach the final. At the post-match press conference, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan launched a scathing attack, criticizing the match schedule and refereeing decisions. He claimed that the Egyptian team had been a victim of jealousy, targeting and obstruction, and added that Senegal were merely luckier.
Hossam Hassan said, “Some people wanted Egypt to be eliminated early and tried to stop us from progressing in the tournament. Egypt has won 7 Africa Cup of Nations titles, which makes everyone jealous of us, leading to relentless targeting. But in the end, we will strive to turn things around in the coming days and prepare well for the World Cup.”
“I would like to thank the players for their tremendous efforts in the game. They showed great courage and gave it their all, especially Ahmed Fathy, who was forced to leave the pitch at half-time due to injury. Senegal had one extra day of rest and stayed in the same city throughout, while we were forced to travel from another city, which affected our match preparations.”
“Egypt does not need excuses or justifications. We are the ‘Lions of Africa’ and heroes. Senegal were just luckier. Egypt is great, Egypt is strong, Egypt is the mother of the Arabs. Egypt is not only the mother of the Arabs, but also the mother of Africa. No country’s history can compare to ours, and no country has won as many titles as we have (7 Africa Cup of Nations crowns). In terms of strength, the whole world knows that Egypt is stronger than anyone else. Everyone is jealous of Egypt.”
In addition, Hossam Hassan pointed out that there were certain refereeing errors in the match, and reaffirmed his right to request a review of the decisions. He hoped that FIFA would intervene in major tournaments such as the Africa Cup of Nations to ensure the fairness of refereeing judgments.
Egypt has won the Africa Cup of Nations 7 times (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010), making it the most successful team in the tournament’s history. However, their last title dates back to 2010.
