Al Ahly condemns Hossam Hassan's comments on El Shenawy

Al Ahly has intensified its dispute with Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, rejecting his criticism of goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and defending the captain’s standing at the club and with the national team. The club described Hassan’s remarks as irresponsible and said they showed a limited assessment of the player.

The controversy followed Hassan’s decision to leave El Shenawy out of Egypt’s squad for the current Africa Cup of Nations qualifying camp. The coach said the omission was based on footballing reasons and that no player had a guaranteed place. He also used language suggesting that the veteran goalkeeper, who was a substitute at the last World Cup, was finished at international level.

Al Ahly said the national coach had the authority to select or omit players, but not to make comments it considered insulting. The club rejected any attack on the goalkeeper’s footballing or personal reputation, stressing that El Shenawy is both its captain and a leader of Egypt. It also warned that such remarks damage the respect expected among the different parts of the football system.

The dispute came after Egypt opened its qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Angola in Cairo on Friday. Malawi lead Group B with three points after beating South Sudan 2-1, while Egypt and Angola share second place. The group’s top two teams qualify, except in groups containing hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, where only the group winner advances alongside the automatically qualified hosts.