Former Egyptian national team and Al Ahly star, Mohamed Aboutrika, has expressed his disappointment with the performances of Arab national teams in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations 2023, hosted in Ivory Coast and continuing until February 11.
So far, the Arab national teams, with the exception of Morocco, have delivered results that fall short of expectations. Both Egypt and Algeria found themselves in a disappointing draw in their first two matches.
Mauritania faced defeats against Burkina Faso and Angola, while Tunisia lost to Namibia before their upcoming match against Mali.
In a statement to the Qatari sports channel “beIN Sports,” Aboutrika remarked, “Let’s exempt Mauritania’s national team as they are not obligated to achieve anything.”
The former Al Ahly star added, “While Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria present an unacceptable performance, it feels as if they are entering their first African tournament.
There seems to be a lack of preparation or readiness, and they are missing the appropriate character and experience for these matches.”
Continuing, he stated, “Yes, the conditions are tough due to the high temperatures and humidity, but where are the experiences and character needed for such tournaments? It is unreasonable for Cape Verde to top Egypt’s group.”
Aboutrika questioned, “Is it reasonable for Namibia to defeat Tunisia, and Algeria to draw with Burkina Faso and Angola? Why is this happening? It’s a disgrace that Arab national teams, with their previous achievements and significant experiences, are delivering such performances.”
He concluded, “They force us to resort to the calculator to figure out the calculations for advancement, looking at third-place scenarios.”
