Following Egypt’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations by Senegal, head coach Hossam Hassan expressed strong dissatisfaction with the tournament’s scheduling and travel demands, claiming they placed his team at a significant disadvantage.
Egypt, who knocked out Côte d’Ivoire in the quarter finals faced Senegal just two days later in the semi finals and lost by 1-0
Coach Hassan stated that the tight schedule, combined with extensive travel, severely impacted his squad’s ability to prepare.
“What happened to my team isn’t fair,” Hassan said. “We are playing just two days after the Côte d’Ivoire match, and we just came back from travel. Meanwhile, Senegal rested for three days and are playing in the same city where they have been staying for the whole tournament.”
He emphasized the cumulative effect of the logistical challenges. “Look at the number of days they got to rest compared to the days we got to rest,” he continued. “Imagine, they didn’t even have to change their sleep schedule or switch beds or hotels. Unlike my players, who came back from travel and had to change everything.”
Senegal, who topped their group, remained based in the same city for their knockout game. Egypt, had to travel from a different city after their match against Côte d’Ivoire.
While acknowledging Senegal’s quality, the Egyptian coach firmly believes the circumstances surrounding the match were not equitable for his team’s recovery and preparation.