Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said on Monday in Atlanta that his team is afraid of no one on the eve of facing Argentina in the round of 16 of the World Cup in North America. He sent a message through football—the world's soft power—to let the "Palestinian people live in peace."
اضافة اعلان
Hassan explained during a press conference that the Egyptian national team respects "competing teams, but we fear no one. In football, if you think negatively about your opponent, it won't go well."
He added: "We have our own style, and I told the players two and a half years ago that what matters to us is imposing our style on the pitch and working our way, without thinking about the color of the opposing team's jersey, their name, or their key players, whom we hold in full appreciation and respect. The proof lies in our two friendly matches against Spain and Brazil."
He continued: "We did not think about them, nor did we against Belgium in the World Cup, and the same applies tomorrow. We will play our style, and our goal is big for a great nation, the Arab world, and Africa."
Hassan explained: "We knew during our World Cup preparations that we would face strong teams, and now we are in the round of 16, let alone facing the world champions Argentina, for whom and whose players we have all the respect and appreciation, including the global legend Lionel Messi. However, we will focus on what we will deliver on the pitch and the progress the players have achieved in their performance, both tactically and in their determination to reach our goal."
He continued: "The World Cup does not happen often, whether for players or coaches, and this is a good opportunity for Egypt's players to exploit the tournament to confirm the strength of Egyptian, Arab, and African football, because we have lagged behind on many occasions and are currently trying to make up for it and meet our fans' expectations."
Hassan pointed out that the preparation period between the Australia match in the round of 32 and Argentina on Tuesday is "short. We also canceled yesterday's training session due to weather conditions, rain, and torrential floods, but we knew how to handle things. We are used to this before matches and have accustomed the players to endurance, thanks to the recovery efforts of the technical, medical, and administrative staffs."
He noted that the players "are aware of their responsibility and the need to endure all circumstances. Today we held our first full group training session for 40 or 50 minutes, in addition to practical lectures on the pitch and others utilizing videos and technical details."
He added: "The players needed lighter training due to fatigue and exhaustion. I am satisfied with the preparation despite the short time before a major match in the World Cup round of 16, and the players will be ready. We have our chances to reach the quarter-finals."
"A Shame Upon Us"
Hassan addressed carrying the Palestinian flag after the last match, saying: "Everyone has feelings, and if there is a person in the world who does not feel for the Palestinian people, they are not human, whoever they may be—Arab, European, or American. In any of these countries, if an animal is harmed, human rights, animal rights, and all global rights organizations mobilize."
He added: "Yet, when thousands are killed, including women and children, while we sit in air-conditioned apartments, palaces, with food available, there are children and people living in tents in winter and summer, under the sun—you find the Palestinian people living in the open. People do not care about what Palestinians suffer from illness, hunger, and epidemics due to the lack of food and sleep. Therefore, my life has no purpose if I do not feel [those conditions], and the same goes for any human being on Earth, regardless of whether they are Muslim, Christian, or Jewish."
He continued: "If we insist on closing our eyes, we ask the decision-makers to place their own children for just one day in the street under the rain and cold to see how they would fare. Floods are happening in Gaza and Palestine; it is a shame upon us and the entire world, not just the Arab world, and upon the decision-makers who leave people like us to suffer, regardless of religion. We demand the prosecution of whoever harms an animal, so why do we not do that with whoever kills a human being?"
He stressed that "my feeling is spontaneous because I am a human being just like the people who are dying. I am a human being before my identity or religion as an Arab or anything else. This is a message through football, the world's soft power, to all athletes and all media professionals. Through the World Cup, we send a message: please, let the Palestinian people live, they want nothing but to live."
He concluded, to the applause of some journalists in the press conference: "Just as the FIFA slogan says respect and sportsmanship, we need peace in life and respect for human beings." — (AFP)
