Egypt's Ibrahim Hassan Apologizes After World Cup Exit Against Argentina

Ibrahim Hassan, the director of Egypt's national football team, issued an apology to Egyptian fans after the team's elimination in the Round of 16 at the World Cup by Argentina.

The Egyptian team received both official and popular welcomes upon their return home on Friday morning.

In remarks to On Sport channel, Ibrahim Hassan expressed gratitude to the fans, saying, "I thank the fans for the great support we received throughout the tournament matches; we always felt their confidence in our abilities."

He added, "The Egyptian team deserves more than what was achieved, but unfortunately, we faced circumstances beyond our control, despite our full efforts."

He continued, "We led Argentina by two goals to none and were capable of continuing the journey if not for the serious refereeing errors witnessed by everyone, which revealed the truth to the world, as we were eliminated through deliberate action."

Ibrahim Hassan noted, "During our departure, many people apologized to us for what happened and confirmed their support. Never before has a team received such global sympathy and exited the tournament in such an honorable manner."

He also expressed thanks to Egyptians living abroad, both adults and children, emphasizing that football and sports in general play an important role in strengthening the sense of belonging to Egypt among Egyptians overseas.

He concluded, "Our message to the Egyptian players at the World Cup was always not to stop at this stage and to continue working with confidence in what they present. The technical staff exerted tremendous effort, with Hossam Hassan working on all the fine details and continuously studying the opponents, and everyone worked to the utmost degree."