Khaled El-Darandly, the Vice President of the Egyptian Football Association and head of the Pharaohs' recent delegation, revealed details about the crisis faced by the national team during their match against South Sudan in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He emphasized the importance of stability at this stage as the qualification journey begins, confirming that a meeting is expected to rectify the situation.
El-Darandly explained during a television interview on "On Sport" what transpired, stating: "There was no direct misconduct from the coaching staff of the Egypt national team, but there was an administrative and organizational error; the coaching staff and players arrived late at the airport, and according to protocol, they were supposed to greet me as the head of the delegation before traveling. I received an implicit message from Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan directed to the Football Association, and we spent the entire flight with each party going in a different direction."
He added: "Leading the delegation represents Egypt's name, so I was keen to avoid any problems at this time and handled the situation very calmly. As soon as we arrived, I arranged all organizational matters, even separating the players' and coaching staff's dining area from the hall designated for the Football Association and guests. There was no communication between me and the coaching staff after the match against South Sudan."
The head of the delegation continued his statements: "I am fully aware of the duties of the head of the delegation, and interactions with the players were normal, with ongoing communication between us. I also confirm that there was no communication between Mohamed Salah and Engineer Hany Abou Rida or myself regarding this matter at all."
