Mohamed Salah's Egypt manager launches AFCON accusations after semi-final defeat

Egypt boss Hossam Hassan accused AFCON of unfair treatment after his side's 1-0 semi-final defeat to Senegal, with players gesturing at referees and alleging officials were paid off

Hossam Hassan produced a stunning rant(Image: )

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan has launched an extraordinary attack on the African Cup of Nations, accusing organisers of treating his team unfairly in an astonishing tirade.

Mohamed Salah and his teammates were eliminated at the semi-final stage of the competition following a 1-0 loss to Senegal, with the Liverpool forward's former Anfield colleague Sadio Mane netting the decisive goal for Senegal to reach the final.

The heated encounter has now sparked allegations of conspiracy from frustrated manager Hassan, who insisted his team were disadvantaged by the tournament's fixture scheduling and claimed everyone is 'jealous' of the nation's achievements in the competition.

Hassan could be spotted on the pitch holding up seven fingers, representing the number of titles secured by his country. After the final whistle, as the match officials gathered in the middle of the pitch, Egypt's players gestured towards the referees and even suggested they had been bribed.

Egypt met Senegal in Tangier having overcome the Ivory Coast four days earlier in Agadir, some 490 miles away. Senegal enjoyed an additional day's recovery despite having played Mali in the same venue as their subsequent semi-final victory.

Hassan was determined not to let the evening conclude without drawing attention to the obstacles his squad encountered. The manager appeared to imply his side had been deliberately disadvantaged by such arrangements.

"Egypt does not need excuses and apologies," he fumed, per SportyFM. "Egypt is great and no one will dare to win seven titles like us.

Mohamed Salah in despair(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"We just needed fairness like [Senegal]. We played the day after the Senegal match, who are playing in the semi on the same field, and I'm surprised by that.

"By what FIFA law is what happened to the Egypt team done?" he continued. "When a team reaches the semis, do you honor it or torture it?

"It is expected that teams will be given a break fairly among them to see a great semi, but what happened is that the three teams got more rest.

"I told the players to ignore [the chants from the stands] and focus. I don't want to talk about it. We are Arabs of Africa, and Egypt is great, the mother of the Arabs and the mother of Africa in terms of history and titles, and everyone is jealous!"

Despite boasting stars such as Salah and Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, Egypt haven't lifted the AFCON trophy since 2010, having also claimed victory in the previous two tournaments.

The Pharaohs were beaten finalists in 2022 when they lost on penalties to Senegal, with Mane converting the decisive spot-kick whilst Salah was heartbreakingly not called upon as the fifth penalty taker.

Egypt will now compete in Saturday's third-place play-off, whilst Senegal will face either hosts Morocco or Nigeria in Sunday's final.