Essam El-Hadary, Egypt's national team goalkeeper coach, attacked media figure Ahmed Shobeir regarding comments on the water bottle that Egypt's goalkeeper Mohamed Abu Jabal was seen using during the Africa Cup of Nations matches. Shobeir criticized the excessive discussion surrounding the water bottle Abu Jabal used to track players executing penalty kicks and their shooting techniques, stating, "This method has been used many times before, whether by writing on the bottle or the goalkeeper's towel... Enough with the fuss."
El-Hadary shared several images via Instagram Stories, mocking Shobeir's remarks by posting old photos of him alongside festival songs like "I know you are annoyed, come on." One post featured a photo of Shobeir with a news headline, accompanied by the song "As long as hatred fills you, I will live and continue against you."
Additionally, Shobeir criticized recent statements made by Abu Jabal regarding Gambian referee Bakari Gassama, who officiated the semi-final match between Egypt and Cameroon, claiming he intentionally disrupted the Pharaohs and caused their defeat to the hosts. Shobeir remarked, "Sorry, you’ve reached a new level of stardom as Egypt's goalkeeper, and it is inappropriate for you to say such things."
He clarified, "What Abu Jabal did in the tournament is commendable, but we need to be cautious in our speech; a referee shouldn't speak like that." He added, "The referee’s comments to the Egyptian players during the Cameroon match, 'You will lose, you will lose', should never happen. Sorry, we did not lose and we won."
He continued, "A referee might say, 'If you speak, I'll send you off,' which happens in many matches due to provocations, but they would never say 'you will lose.' We are exaggerating the situation with Bakari Gassama."
Goalkeeper Mohamed Abu Jabal performed well for Egypt during the recent Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded last week. He successfully saved several penalty kicks after being relied upon following the injury of goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, starting from the round of 16 up to the final match.
