Mohamed Salah doubled down on his much‑debated comment about Egypt’s AFCON chances after the 3-2 quarterfinal win over Côte d’Ivoire.
The Pharaohs’ captain, who led his team into a semifinal showdown with Senegal, again insisted that Egypt should not be seen as clear favourites for the title.
Salah had already sparked discussion after the Benin game in the last 16 when he said Egypt were not among the top contenders because their squad is built mainly from domestic‑league players, while many rivals have stars playing in Europe.
Speaking to beIN SPORTS after beating Côte d’Ivoire, he repeated: “I cannot say we are 100% favourites to win the title. We have to look at the opponents; they have many big players active in Europe.”
He added that the semifinal against Senegal “will be extremely difficult” because of the high level and European experience of their players.
At the same time, Salah stressed that Egypt are fighting to make their fans happy, pointing out that most of his teammates come from the Egyptian league and that this is “not a criticism of them at all”, but a reminder of the challenge they face at this tournament.
