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Egypt’s legendary striker and current Ittihad of Alexandria head coach, Hossam Hassan, criticized what Mohamed Salah said leading up to the Ivory Coast clash.
After an unconvincing start to the Africa Cup of Nations, which saw them lose 1-0 to Nigeria in the opener before snatching two wins against Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria, Egypt finished second in Group D.
This meant that they had to face Group E leaders Ivory Coast in the Round of 16.
Leading up to the game, the players and head coach Carlos Queiroz were heavily criticized by fans and pundits alike for the team’s poor displays.
This put a lot of pressure on the players who were in dire need of a compelling win to gain the trust of the unsatisfied Egyptian fans.
Salah addressed this issue in the pre-match press conference, saying that Egyptian fans are too busy showing their support to individuals or specific clubs instead of the national team as a whole. This, according him, puts more pressure on the players and creates divisions within the team.
The Liverpool star also claimed that the popularity of the national team has decreased massively because of social media, adding that they need more time to gel together as a group.
The Pharaohs went on to beat Ivory Coast 5-4 on penalties, following a great performance that saw unprecedented spirit and tactical awareness from this generation of players.
After the game, Hossam Hassan said that the win was the best way for the national team to reconciliate the fans, instead of what Salah said the previous day.
“The Egyptian fans were upset with the performance in the group stage, and Salah should have apologized to them and admitted what they did and promised to answer on the pitch. This would prove that he and his teammates are doing their best, and they wouldn’t be blamed,” Egypt’s all-time goal-scorer told MBC Masr TV.
“Salah must give the fans the freedom to express their anger and sadness over the team’s performance. He has become a role model for everyone, so he must understand the fans and prove himself to them on the pitch, as he did against Ivory Coast, and be upset over their sadness and promise them to always give his best.
“The truth is that I don’t see the Al Ahly and Zamalek fans, everyone is behind the national team and no one looks at a particular club or player.
“Salah is one of the three best players in the world and has great experience in dealing with these situations. His statements were incorrect, and sometimes it’s better for a player to not talk and just focus on the game.
“Salah accepts criticism in England, and he knows if he performs poorly in two consecutive matches, that the fans will criticize him. So how can he refuse criticism when we are talking about the Egyptian national team,” he concluded.
Egypt will now face North African rivals Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2021 AFCON next Sunday, 30 January at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.
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