HIBAPRESS – Sports
Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egyptian national team, avoided answering questions from Moroccan journalists during the press conference preceding the match against Nigeria, within the third-place match of the African Cup of Nations, in an atmosphere marked by tension.
During the press conference held today, Friday, the coach of the "Pharaohs" entered into a heated discussion with a journalist, who demanded that he acknowledge the technical failure instead of seeking justifications for the defeat in the semi-final against Senegal with a goal to nil. The journalist said to Hossam Hassan: "It is the right of the Egyptian public to know the truth, and to admit that the team failed to reach the final," to which the coach of Egypt replied emotionally, considering that the question "inappropriate and lacking respect", refusing to answer it. In the same context, another Moroccan journalist tried to direct a similar question, but Hossam Hassan ignored the intervention and refrained from commenting. The coach of the Egyptian national team had caused controversy after being eliminated from the semi-finals, when he attributed the loss to the lack of a rest period, hinting at the existence of parties that did not want Egypt to reach the final match.
