Former Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary has launched a strong critique of the Pharaohs’ technical direction following their fourth-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, questioning both performance levels and key decisions taken by the coaching staff led by Hossam Hassan.
Although Egypt reached the semi-finals, El Hadary made it clear that the final position masked deeper problems. Speaking in televised interviews, the former captain argued that the team’s displays across the tournament failed to reflect Egypt’s historical dominance on the continental stage.
In his view, progression to the last four should not distract from the fact that several players underperformed and that the collective identity of the team appeared diluted.
El Hadary stressed that criticism should not be viewed as hostility, but rather as a necessary step toward restoring Egypt’s stature in African football.
He urged the technical staff to reassess negative aspects of the campaign, insisting that a higher ceiling was within reach had more players operated at their expected level. His comments suggested frustration not just with results, but with the broader footballing message projected by the team.
One of his central concerns was the lack of continuity in team selection.
“The technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, must accept criticism that ultimately serves Egypt’s interests, and must reconsider some of the negative aspects. If some of the players had been at their usual level during the tournament, we would have gone further than we did.”
He continued: “I watched four Egypt matches from inside the stadium, and regardless of the results, there was no stability in the starting line-up. The head coach made many changes, which may have been due to suspensions or injuries, but when you say there are seven stars on our chest, you must live up to that statement. Seven stars mean that all of Africa fears the Pharaohs, and seven stars mean respect from every opponent. We do not want words; we want the national team at its best and to maintain the respect of Egypt, seven-time champions of Africa.”
The goalkeeping situation also drew pointed criticism. El Hadary questioned the rotation between Mohamed El Shenawy and Mostafa Shobeir, arguing that tournament football demands clarity in the number one position.
“It is well known that a national team should have a clear number one goalkeeper. But for Egypt to play six matches, with one goalkeeper in four games and another in two, does not reflect stability from my point of view.
“I have said before that a team competing for the title thinks only about lifting the trophy, not about its opponents. The same applies to the goalkeeping position. We saw Morocco’s Yassine Bounou and Senegal’s Édouard Mendy, who were among the main reasons their teams reached the final.”
El Hadary concluded: “Mohamed El Shenawy did not perform at his usual level. I know the Al Ahly goalkeeper’s level very well. As for Mostafa Shobeir, he played two matches in line with the chances he faced. He was neither outstanding nor poor, and he did not deliver an exceptional performance as some claim.
“He dealt well with the situations that came his way, bearing in mind that he played against Angola in a dead rubber, and the match against Nigeria for third place was also a dead rubber.”
