Egypt players greeted by hundreds after record World Cup run
Supporters met Egypt’s squad in el-Alamein after its first trip to the World Cup last 16 ended in a late loss to Argentina.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Hundreds of supporters welcomed Egypt’s national football team home on Friday after the country’s strongest World Cup campaign, AFP reported. The reception in el-Alamein followed Egypt’s first appearance in the tournament’s last 16 and a 3-2 defeat to Argentina after a late comeback by the defending champions.
Fans wearing Egypt’s red, white and black gathered outside the airport, where the players boarded an open-top bus for a parade through the coastal city, according to AFP. Supporters waved Egyptian flags and sang as the team left the airport grounds.
Mohamed Gehad, a supporter who travelled to the airport, told AFP he was happy with the team’s performance and said fans were matching the players’ spirit as they returned home. Another fan, Eyad Ahmed, told AFP that Egypt had reached a stage it had not reached before and that supporters were proud.
Egypt’s run included the country’s first World Cup win and a penalty shootout victory over Australia that took the team into the last 16 for the first time, AFP reported. Against Argentina, Egypt led 2-0 with only minutes remaining before losing 3-2.
Many fans wore shirts bearing the name of captain Mohamed Salah, the former Liverpool forward. During the celebrations, Salah wrote on social media that he would do everything he could to make the campaign a new start for Egyptian football internationally.
The squad is expected to meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday, according to AFP. El-Sisi thanked the team on social media for what he called an “honourable performance.”
The tournament exit has also drawn scrutiny in Egypt. AFP reported that the Egyptian Football Association lodged a complaint over the officiating in Tuesday’s match against Argentina, while coach Hossam Hassan accused officials of injustice. FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina rejected what he described as “unfounded allegations.”
Support for Palestinians was visible at the airport reception, where fans carried Palestinian flags and a poster showing Hassan with Egyptian and Palestinian flags during the tournament, AFP reported. Hassan had received praise in Gaza after waving a Palestinian flag following the win over Australia and dedicating that victory to Palestinians.
At a news conference before the Argentina match, Hassan said the suffering of Palestinians was a “shame on the world” and called for football to do more to help, according to AFP. During the World Cup, Palestinians in Gaza watched Egypt’s matches in makeshift cafes inside tents or structures built from salvaged metal, AFP reported.
AFP also reported that Palestinians in Gaza held a funeral on Wednesday for Mohammed al-Wahidi, a senior member of Egypt’s main aid organisation who had helped organise World Cup screenings in the enclave. Medics said al-Wahidi, a Palestinian, was killed in an Israeli air strike on a taxi in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood along with three other people, including two children aged 10 and eight.
At the funeral, hundreds gathered as al-Wahidi’s body was wrapped in Palestinian and Egyptian flags before burial, AFP reported. Friends and neighbours later went to his home to offer condolences.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.