Egyptian Football Association board member Amer Hussein confirmed that the exclusion of the trio Emam Ashour, Tariq Hamed and Hussein El-Shahat from the Pharaohs squad was the decision of Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria.
After defeating Djibouti by six points without reply in the first round of Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers and hours before traveling to Liberia to play their second match in the qualifier against Sierra Leone tomorrow, Sunday, Vitoria showed red eyes of its players Tariq Hamed, Imam Ashour and Hussein Al-Shahat, taking the disciplinary decision that was announced. The Egyptian Federation established a state of discipline in the camp.
The Portuguese coach decided to expel the trio “for not following the system” after their 6-0 win over Djibouti last Thursday.
Amer Hussein stated in televised statements in his commentary on the trio’s expulsion: “Vitoria is the first and last decision-maker in the Egyptian national team, and his decision to exclude the trio of Imam Ashour, Tariq Hamed and Hussein El-Shahat was due to the trio disobeying his decisions, therefore they were not allowed to travel with the team to meet Sierra Leone.”
The Egyptian Football Association board member added: “Vitoria does not compromise on issues of commitment and no one can interfere in such matters because these are disciplinary matters.”
Amer Hussein indicated that there is a possibility of the expelled trio being invited back to the national team in the future, explaining that the Portuguese coach does not like to get into disputes with players, but is punished only after the fact.
Source: Agencies