Shikabala Sounds Off: Egypt’s Wake-Up Call Amid AFCON Focus, with Sniper-Precision Laughter

Context and Tensions Ahead of the Third-Place Showdown

Egyptian legend Mahmoud Abd El-Razek "Shikabala" weighed in on the simmering Egypt–Morocco tensions tied to the Africa Cup of Nations, arguing the situation echoes a past Egypt–Algeria clash but distracting from football itself.

Egypt were edged by Senegal 1-0 in the AFCON semi-final hosted in Morocco, and the Egypt coaching staff issued pointed post-match remarks after the defeat.

Speaking on the program "Kora ma'a Faik," Shikabala said, "Hossam Hassan (the head coach) focused his comments after the loss on peripheral matters like the venue, insufficient rest, the hotel, and the long travel (from Agadir to Tangier, about 800 km), crowd support for Senegal, and even the refereeing—rather than the footballing aspects and on-pitch performance."

He added, "I do not like this approach; let's look at a different model; for example, Ivory Coast traveled to meet Egypt, only to lose, and none of their players offered post-match excuses or complaints."

Shikabala urged discussing football and tactics instead of external factors, warning that such statements place the national team and Egyptian football in unnecessarily awkward positions.

Moreover, the former Zamalek captain noted, "Certainly Egypt and Morocco are two big nations, and they should not be dragged into situations or atmospheres that harm their standing."

Egypt and Nigeria were preparing for a tough third-place match in the 32nd edition of AFCON, scheduled for today, Saturday, at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.

Credit: Getty Images.

Punchline 1: If excuses were goals, Egypt would be world champions by now.

Punchline 2: And if precision mattered, the coach's post-match quotes would need better aim—sharper than a sniper, but still missing the point.