Egypt boss Rui Vitoria has explained his decision to leave out a few key players from his squad for their games in November.
The Pharaohs played twice in the international break last month as they took on Djibouti and Sierra Leone as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
With a 6-0 victory over Djibouti, Vitoria opted to keep Tarek Hamed, Hussein El-Shahat, and Emam Ashour on the bench for the 90 minutes.
The trio later failed to make the trip to Sierra Leone despite being fully fit as Vitoria has now lifted the lid on the incident.
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“I saw an inappropriate reaction from the players who I respect and have a good relationship with, but when someone is not showing respect in one way or another, then action must be taken,” Vitoria told ON Time Sports.
“For me, there are things that can never be compromised. However, all players still have a fair chance to be called up to the national team in the Africa Cup of Nations.”
“His [Tarek Hamed] decision to retire from international football is a personal one that I can’t intervene with,” he added.