Former Al Ahly goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy criticises Hossam Hassan over El Shenawy’s Egypt squad snub

Former Al Ahly goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy has criticised Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan over the way he explained Mohamed El Shenawy’s omission from the Pharaohs’ latest squad.

Hassan revealed that the Al Ahly captain was left out of Egypt’s squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola for technical reasons and not because of injury.

The Egypt coach also referred to previous occasions when he had selected El Shenawy despite the goalkeeper not being at his best, claiming that he played a role in helping him regain his form.

However, Ekramy believes Hassan was entitled to make the technical decision but questioned his choice of words when explaining the omission.

“In my opinion, Captain Hossam Hassan’s problem in the media is not always what he wants to say, but often it is in the way he expresses himself, and this is what was very evident in his talk about Mohamed El Shenawy,” Ekramy wrote on his X account.

Ekramy acknowledged that Hassan’s communication style has been discussed previously but said the particular wording used when discussing El Shenawy stood out to him.

“Any coach has the right to choose or exclude any player for technical reasons, regardless of his name and history,” he said.

“But describing a player as having been finished and that you are the one who brought him back to his level, turns the conversation from a technical decision to another idea.”

The former Egypt international suggested that such comments could create the impression that a coach is presenting his role in a player’s revival as a personal favour.

“Of course, the coach may have a role in a player returning to his level, but if he sees that excluding him is technically correct, he excludes him, without needing me to be the one who brought him back,” Ekramy added.

Ekramy concluded by stressing that Hassan may not have intended his comments in that manner, but argued that careful communication is part of the responsibility that comes with managing the national team.

“Captain Hossam Hassan may not have meant it that way, but sometimes choosing the right word is part of the responsibility of the position,” he concluded.