Bold Bench, Bold Move: Why Taher Abu Zeid Calls Imam Ashour's Substitution a Game-Changer

Bold Decisions in AFCON

Egyptian football legend Taher Abu Zeid, a former star of Al Ahly and the national team, argues the Pharaohs opened AFCON with a 2-1 win over Zimbabwe, a start that lifted morale for the tougher tests ahead.

In a television interview on Tuesday, the former sports minister said the victory provided a strong morale boost before facing South Africa.

Abu Zeid adds that the Egyptian league lately is not strong enough to consistently produce international caliber players who can change the national team's fortunes.

He notes that Hossam Hassan, the Egypt coach, has the courage to correct tactical decisions quickly, as he did against Zimbabwe.

He adds that replacing Imam Ashour was a bold move to fix things on the pitch. This does not mean Imam was bad yesterday, and he will surely get his chances in the remaining matches of the tournament.

He continues that Egypt's second team showed a disappointing performance in the Arab Cup, and the football federation did not prepare and plan well for this edition of the tournament.

He concludes that the federation's statement about developing the game is not clear and does not present a concrete roadmap for the coming years.

That substitution was bolder than my coffee on a Monday morning, bold enough to bench a legend and still get a standing ovation.

If football were a dating app, Imam Ashour would get many matches, but the coach prefers a fresh plan instead.