Omar Sarhan: Mohamed Salah did not cause problems with Egypt, and Ali Maher is an outstanding coach

Sports critic Omar Sarhan said Mohamed Salah had not caused problems within the Egypt national team and that his absence against Angola had been agreed in advance with head coach Hossam Hassan. Sarhan called for an end to talk of disagreements between the players and coaching staff, and urged them to unite in the coming period.

Sarhan added that Salah had been an important part of Hossam Hassan’s experience with the national team, helping to contain the players and lead them on the pitch. According to Sarhan, Salah did not object to decisions to substitute him.

Speaking about Ali Maher, Sarhan praised his coaching ideas, saying his approach involves building from the back, possession and attacking boldness. He said Maher is good at developing players and catching major teams off guard while maintaining defensive balance. Sarhan cited Omar Kamal Abdelwahed’s experience under Maher and said Egyptian football needs coaches with modern ideas and academic and cultural training.

Sarhan also stressed the importance of education and proficiency in foreign languages for the national team’s head coach, as a representative of Egypt at international events and tournaments. He said Ali Maher possesses a number of these qualities.