“Worst captain in the history of the Egyptian national team” - TV personality launches scathing attack on Mohamed Salah
Egypt captain Mohamed Salah was the recipient of a scathing verbal attack from his countryman Tarek Shaaban after the opening match of the 2023 AFCON. The Liverpool ace featured for Egypt as they played out a 2-2 draw against Mozambique in Cote d'Ivoire.
Salah left England for Cote d'Ivoire with the rest of his Egyptian teammates, where he is captaining his country in the tournament. The Pharaohs, record eight-time winners of the competition, have been drawn against Mozambique, Ghana, and Cape Verde in the group stage of the competition.
Egypt narrowly avoided defeat in their group stage opener against the Mambas of Mozambique in Abidjan, with a late Mohamed Salah penalty sparing their blushes in a 2-2 draw.
Tarek Shaaban took to X to attack the Egyptian star, criticising him for not contributing defensively, and speaking about his spirit and personality.
"He has no spirit, he has no personality, he has no artistic influence (except in a few moments), he does not like to defend on the field, and he is afraid for his feet. Mohamed Salah is the worst captain and worst star in the history of the Egyptian national team," Tarek said.
Mohamed Salah is a huge miss for his club, as he is their most effective attacker with 18 goals and eight assists this season. The two-time African Footballer of the Year was effectively shackled by the Mozambican players for most of the game, needing a penalty to find the net.
Egypt are keen to go a step further this year, having lost on penalties to Senegal in the final of the 2022 edition. The Liverpool star did not take a penalty in that match, having been set to take the last penalty in the shootout, which never came.
Mohamed Salah saves Egypt from historic defeat
Egypt faced Mozambique, a side that had never won a single game in AFCON history, in their first match in Abidjan. Things were going smoothly when Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed opened the scoring inside just two minutes.
The minnows responded in the second half with a quickfire double from Witi and Clesio Bauque to turn the game on its head by the 58th minute. Mozambique held on until the added time when Egypt won a penalty.
Mohamed Salah stepped up and fired home the penalty via the upright, helping his side pick up a point from the match. They avoided what would have been a historic defeat against the Mambas, which would have been a first win for Mozambique.
Salah will look to inspire Egypt to a win in their second group game against four-time winners Ghana on Thursday.