CAIRO: Veteran striker Hossam Hassan is unhappy with Ittihad s intention to punish him for missing training, saying that someone of his stature shouldn’t be treated like that.
Ittihad football director Sayed Karawan said that Hassan is awaiting sanction for his conduct but the 41-year-old hitman is refusing the prospect of him being punished.
My caliber matches that of Brazil coach Dunga and Barcelona s Frank Rijkaard, it is not appropriate that I m being mistreated by Ittihad, Hassan told FilGoal.com on Monday.
The former Al Ahly and Zamalek man has also defended himself, citing injury problems as a reason behind his absence from the Alexandria-based club s training.
I m undergoing treatment for knee problems in Cairo. I ve taken permission from Coach Mohamed Salah to skip training sessions until I become fully fit, he said.
There are several players who don t attend training and produce poor performances, yet no one blames them while everybody scrutinizes every single action I make.
Karawan is not convinced by Hassan s excuses, believing that the former Egypt striker should have behaved differently.
When a player sustains an injury, he has to be treated within the club not on his own, he told FilGoal.com.
We signed Hassan to score goals but he is apparently content to just make press interviews. Every player is treated the same, we will not bear such behavior.
After ending his adventure with Tersana last summer, Hassan refused to hang up his boots and decided to have another spell with Ittihad.
However, he had a disappointing start as he has yet to open his account while Ittihad are struggling in the Egyptian League, sitting second from bottom on four points despite signing a host of players.
