Egypt’s Hossam Hassan, in a heated outburst, has accused the African Cup of Nations of bias against his team after they were defeated by Senegal in the semi-finals. The match saw Sadio Mane, a former teammate of Mohamed Salah from Liverpool, score the only goal.
Hassan, visibly frustrated, has raised allegations of a conspiracy, claiming that his team was mistreated due to the tournament schedule. Egypt’s coach displayed seven fingers, symbolizing the seven titles won by Egypt, in protest of the perceived injustice.
The match took place in Tangier, with Egypt having played the Ivory Coast in Agadir just four days earlier, while Senegal had an extra day of rest despite playing in the same stadium for their semi-final. Hassan criticized the scheduling, implying that it disadvantaged his team deliberately.
Expressing his discontent, Hassan emphasized the need for fairness, citing discrepancies in rest periods between teams. Despite having star players like Salah and Omar Marmoush, Egypt has not secured an AFCON title since 2010.
Egypt’s journey in the 2022 AFCON ended with a penalty shootout loss to Senegal, where Mane’s winning spot-kick sealed their fate. Egypt will compete in the third-place play-off, while Senegal advances to the final against either Morocco or Nigeria.
In a bold statement, Hassan asserted Egypt’s greatness and historical success, dismissing any need for excuses and highlighting the envy directed towards his team’s achievements.