The echoes of the decisive match that took place two days ago between Egypt and Senegal, marked by exciting events and unrest, are still resonating in the Egyptian streets, following Senegal's victory and their qualification for the World Cup through penalties. The Egyptian Football Association has renewed its call for a rematch, raising some hope among fans of the "Pharaohs" team, due to the violations faced by the team’s delegation in Senegal.
Videos and photos clearly show that these assaults were evident from the moment the Egyptian team arrived at Dakar Airport, during the match, and even after it concluded, where players were targeted with water bottles and laser beams. The association has attached all videos and photos proving that the team was subjected to actions outside the sporting context from the moment of their arrival to the end of the match.
In this context, Ihab Al-Komy, a member of the association, told Al-Arabiya.net that they will not abandon the rights of the team or the players, adding that complaints have been sent to both the International and African Football Federations, documenting the incidents with audio and video evidence. He also mentioned that a complete file has been submitted regarding the terrorism the team faced before, during, and after the match, as well as the insults and harassment that particularly targeted player Mohamed Salah, both at the airport and in the stadium, where offensive banners were raised against him.
Regarding the possibility of a rematch, he clarified that the International Federation will review these complaints within a maximum of two days, adding that if the observer and the referee reported what happened, there is a possibility of replaying the match. Al-Komy noted that the Egyptian Football Association and the Egyptian authorities treated the Senegalese team with great hospitality in the first match in Cairo, expressing his shock at the very poor treatment of the Egyptian delegation by the Senegalese.
It’s worth mentioning that the Egyptian Federation had previously announced that the team faced racism after offensive banners appeared in the stands. They also confirmed that bottles and stones were thrown at the players during the warm-up, and the delegation's buses were attacked, leading to shattered windows and injuries among some members.
In the match, the Senegalese team defeated Egypt 3-1 in penalties after the regular and extra time ended with a 1-0 victory for Senegal in Dakar before a large and enthusiastic crowd, with a goal from Boulaye Dia in the third minute, resulting in a tie of 1-1 in the aggregate score of the decisive round after Egypt had won the first leg by the same score. Meanwhile, the Egyptian team lost focus during the penalties, with captain Mohamed Salah, Ahmed Sayed Zizo, and Mostafa Mohamed missing three kicks, while Amr El-Soleya scored the only penalty, leading Egypt to miss the chance to qualify for the World Cup for the fourth time in its history after 1934, 1990, and 2018.
