The scene of Ahmed Hegazy refusing to participate in the match between Egypt and Cape Verde as a substitute has sparked a lot of controversy, with expectations that coach Hossam Hassan will impose a severe penalty on him.
The Egyptian coach had preferred to rely on Hamdi Fathy alongside Rami Rabia in the heart of the defense despite the presence of the second captain of the team, Ahmed Hegazy, which was a cause of great anger for the Saudi Neom star.
In the second half, Hossam Hassan asked Hegazy to warm up before going down to the field, but the player refused.
Hossam Hassan commented on the matter in the press conference after the end of the match with Egypt winning 3-0, saying, “I trust Hegazy; but from my point of view, I needed better preparation, so I preferred Hamdi Fathy.”
He also added, “Hegazy is one of the leaders of the national team and it is natural for him to be sad about not participating. These crises are normal on the field as long as the player did not commit any transgressions.”
Egyptian media reported on Saturday that the crisis had been resolved and that Hegazy would travel with the Pharaohs and could play the upcoming Botswana match without a crisis.
However, only a few hours later, other reports emerged that Hegazy had left the Egypt camp at his own request for what they called “psychological reasons.”
However, Hegazy denied this via his Instagram account, saying that the technical staff of the Egyptian national team was the one who excluded him from the camp and that his departure was not a personal decision of his but rather the will of Hossam Hassan.
The matter became the talk of the town in Egypt, especially since everyone is anticipating how Mohamed Salah will act, considering that Hegazy is one of his closest people.
