Helmy Tolan: Egypt’s Second Team Didn’t Aim to Win 2025 Arab Cup

What happened

Helmy Tolan, the coach of Egypt’s second national team, ⁣which participated in the 2025 Arab Cup held⁤ in Qatar, confirmed that ‌the Pharaohs did not participate​ in the tournament with the intention of competing​ for the title.

Egypt’s second national team was eliminated in the group stage of the 2025 Arab Cup, drawing against Kuwait and the Emirates (1-1 in both matches) before losing to Jordan​ 3-0.

Helmy Tolan’s Statements

Helmy Tolan stated ⁢in ‍an ⁤interview with MBC Misr‍ One: “I am not far⁤ from the field of training, and I ⁤accepted the task⁢ of ‌coaching the second‌ Egyptian national team in order to ‍solve ‍a crisis, and no one⁣ asked me to compete​ in the Arab Cup ‍tournament. We went only to participate.”

He further⁢ explained: “Some people asked Ahmed Hassan, the manager of the second Egyptian national team, why ⁢I was expressing my frustration on television. ⁢They questioned weather we were actually aiming ⁤to compete. This should have⁤ been addressed in the media‌ beforehand… and I wanted to ‍avoid imposing sanctions on Egypt.”

he continued: “I wanted ⁢to include assistants who would not incur any costs for the ⁣Football Association… Ahmed Hassan did not receive any payment, but⁤ Essam El-Hadary…

Analysis of egypt’s Performance

Egypt’s performance in⁣ the 2025 Arab Cup raises questions ⁢about​ the strategic use of a second national team. ‌ While providing opportunities for players ⁣outside the primary squad, the lack of ⁢a clear competitive objective, as‍ stated by Tolan, may have contributed⁤ to the underwhelming ‍results. the‍ draws⁣ against Kuwait ​and the UAE,while‍ not defeats,indicate a⁢ lack of dominance‍ against teams of comparable standing.