Egyptian media and supporters were in a foul mood following Egypt’s 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on Thursday, leading to a storm of criticism directed towards manager Ehab Galal as well as the players. It was Egypt’s first defeat to Ethiopia since 1989 and after an unconvincing 1-0 home victory over Guinea to begin qualifying it will take positive results for former Pyramids FC boss Galal to rebuild trust in his abilities. Galal labeled Thursday’s defeat as “a game to forget” and stressed that it will take time for the players to adjust to his style of play.
Former long time Egypt national team fullback Ahmed Elmohamady echoed the thoughts of many Egyptian supporters on social media by remarking that he believes Galal’s lack of national team experience makes him unworthy of managing Africa’s most successful team. Famous Al Ahly center back Wael Gomaa spared Galal from criticism due to it being early in his tenure but stated it was the first time he has ever seen “Egypt play like this”. Gomaa praised Galal’s predecessor, Carlos Queiroz, who Gomaa was an assistant to at the 2021 AFCON before leaving following Queiroz’s exit from the Egypt setup.
