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Join on Telegram Rabat – Hany Said, Sports Director of Egyptian club Pyramids FC, has raised questions about the veracity of Al Ahly’s Hussein El-Shahat’s account regarding an incident that took place after the two teams’ game last week.
Last Sunday, a post-match altercation shocked the football community when El-Shahat insulted and physically assaulted Pyramids’ Moroccan right-back Mohamed Chibi, drawing widespread criticism from the football community.
In the wake of the incident, El-Shahat publicly apologized for his actions, but attributed his behavior to alleged “provocations” he “could not bear.”
However, Pyramids Sports Director has challenged El-Shahat’s version of events, highlighting apparent contradictions.
“Returning to the events of the match, Hussein El-Shahat participated as a substitute in the 71st minute of the match and played on the right side for Al Ahly, while Mohamed Chibi was on the opposite side of the field,” he said, according to local media.
During that time, there was no contact or collision between the two players, Said stressed, noting that Chibi left the stadium in the 73th minute due to injury, two minutes after El-Shahat joined the pitch.
Said went on to add that “videos of the incident are clear and prove that El-Shahat first approached the Al Ahly fans to greet them before heading to Pyramids’ bench. Chibi, seemingly attentive to El-Shahat, was caught off guard when the latter pulled and slapped him, hurling insults and abuse.”
Read also: Moroccan Footballer Mohamed Chibi Seeks Justice from Moroccan Consulate in Egypt
The Sports Director further challenged the Egyptian player’s claims of provocation, stating: “There is not a single piece of footage showing our player, Mohamed Chibi, insulting El-Shahat or disrespecting his family.”
On the contrary, the evidence overwhelmingly supports Chibi’s innocence, Said stressed, referring to videos of the slapping incident that journalists and fans have recorded.
Said expressed concern that El-Shahat’s apology seemed to lack sincerity, as it did not directly address the Pyramids FC player he wronged, nor the club, Chibi’s family, and fans who witnessed the unsportsmanlike incident.
Amid the controversy, Al Ahly announced imposing a hefty fine of half a million Egyptian pounds (over MAD 157,000) on El-Shahat over the “unacceptable incidents” that took place.
The club said that they took into consideration “the player’s acknowledgment of the mistake and his apology for his actions.”
However, angry fans have called for harsher punishment and for a suspension to be added to the fine.
