Hossam Ghaly, a member of the Board of Directors of Al-Ahly Club, revealed the behind-the-scenes of his crisis with Hector Cuper, the former coach of the Egyptian national team, and his exclusion from the 2018 World Cup.
Hossam Hassan said during his hosting on the DMC channel: “Cup was meeting with the players, after the recovery exercises, and talking to them, and he used to say that Al-Ahly wins with the referees. What do you know about Egyptian football? You are an Argentine man and you have never followed Egyptian football before until you came to train the national team. What do you say? Al-Ahly wins with the referees?
He added: “Why do you say that about Al-Ahly? And one time he also said to me, ‘If I were your player, I would cut you off.’ Al-Ahly players were being subjected to injustice in the Egyptian national team during Cuper’s tenure.”
He explained: “My position with Amr Gamal was not the reason for my exclusion. After the Nigeria match, there was training for the players who did not participate in the match, and by my nature, I go into training seriously as if it were a match. Amr Gamal did not take it seriously and I abused him inappropriately. He was in the presence of Osama.” Nabih, the national team coach, told me that it is not right for you to do that in front of me and I will not do anything. I felt sorry for him and dealt with Amr Gamal normally after that and the problem was over.”
He pointed out: “We were having dinner and a situation happened in front of me that I did not like, and I had a reaction. I did not defend myself at the time, but I saw that there was discrimination with the Al-Ahly players, and I asked the national team players.”
He continued: “Did you see Hassan Shehata doing that, despite his strong affiliation to the Zamalek club?”
He stressed: “Did anyone think that I did not deserve to represent the Egyptian national team in the World Cup? Cuper saw that I was the fourth or fifth player in the midfield from his technical point of view, and I thought that I deserved to be present and participate in the World Cup, but he denied me that.”
He added: “Hani Abu Raida, president of the Football Association at the time, summoned me to the African Union, and told me to apologize for the next camp, and you will come in the camp that will succeed him. I told him why he apologized when I did not do anything. If you do not want to include me in the national team, I have no problem, and we agreed on a session.” Then, in the presence of Mahmoud Taher, president of Al-Ahly Club at the time.”
He continued: “We set the date of the session, and Mahmoud Taher told me the time and the session would be in my office, and I thought he meant his office in Al-Ahly Club in Al-Jazira, and I went there and did not find him. I contacted him and told him that I was at the club, and I had training at the time and I would not be able to go.” To Heliopolis, the headquarters of his office.
He continued: “I was surprised after that that they announced the list, before the time of the session, so why are we talking about solving the problem in the first place, and at that time Cooper included 13 Al-Ahly players, in order to avoid media talk about his treatment of Al-Ahly players. The technical level is the basis, and affiliation has nothing to do with it.” Egypt national team”.
He concluded: “It is natural for me to be sad about not being included in the Egyptian national team in the World Cup, and I am at the end of my career just because of personal whims. Cooper wanted me to apologize to him so that he could include me, as some players did. What did he apologize to us for? Should I concede when I did not do anything? We tried to bring our points of view closer together, but whoever was supervising the Egyptian national team managed the crisis incorrectly, and I was the victim.”
