The sponsoring company of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) issued a statement replying to criticism on the team’s mission in the Russia World Cup. The statement was issued a few hours before Egypt’s match against Russia took place, during the second round in the first group of the World Cup.
The company acquitted itself from the chaos occurred at the team’s base hotel, hours before the match with Russia, even though the company is involved in this miserable situation.
The company explained in its statement that it has invited 1,350 Egyptian fans to support their team. They were winners in the competitions held by the sponsoring companies, celebrities, public figures, and sportsmen. It stressed that it succeeded in its mission and this resulted in making Egyptians fans look good in the stadium, where the world cup matches are played.
Sources told Daily News Egypt that the sponsoring company was responsible for the chaos that took place at the hotel, through allowing fans inside it to take pictures with the players and celebrate the Egyptian presence in the World Cup.
The sponsoring company incident is not the first of its kind. It was preceded by several incidents, with the most prominent the issue realted Mohamed Salah, the team’s striker, and the English team Liverpool due to the player’s ad rights.
The sponsoring company continued to destroy Egyptian football after controlling some members of the EFA, by giving them a chance to work in its channels and radio stations, which led to the members implementing the instructions without objections or discussions out of fear of being overthrown.
The EFA, headed by Hany Abu Rida, has decided not to extend the contract of Egypt’s head coach Hector Cuper, after the national team suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Russia in St Petersburg on Tuesday. Having lost their first game 1-0 to Uruguay, Egypt now only has a weak chance of advancing to the knockout round.
Abu Rida had agreed with Cuper before the World Cup to hold a meeting after the tournament to negotiate over the possibility of renewing his coaching contract of the national team.
After the bad results in World Cup, the EFA’s management council asked Abu Rida not to renew the Argentinian’s contract. Abu Rida gave in to the EFA’s council’s pressure, despite his desire to extend Cuper’s contract, to maintain the stability of the team.
Cuper took the job in 2015 and has led the Pharaohs to their first World Cup finals since 1990. In 2017, he also steered the team to the final of the African Cup of Nations.
