Egypt skipper Hassan hits out at coach Bradley after snub

Skipper Ahmed Hassan hit out at Egypt coach Bob Bradley after the Zamalek midfielder was left out of the Pharaohs’ squad for two friendly games in the United Arab Emirates next month. Bradley said he had omitted Hassan “for technical reasons” but the 37-year-old insisted he was mistreated by the American boss. “Not joining the national team is not a problem, but I was surprised to find Bradley talking badly about me when I met him during a game for Egypt’s youth team,” Hassan said in a television interview. “I blame the people around him, who did not talk to him about the history of Ahmed Hassan,” he added, without specifying what Bradley had said about him. Egypt are scheduled to face Congo and Tunisia during their training camp in the UAE next month. Former Besiktas and Anderlecht midfielder Hassan has been a regular member of Egypt’s squad since making his debut in a friendly game against Ghana in 1995. He helped the team win four African Nations Cups and is best remembered for his impressive goal in the 2-0 victory over South Africa in the 1998 final in Burkina Faso. He also made history after becoming the world’s most capped player when he made his 179th international appearance in a friendly game against Niger in February. Hassan, who scored 33 goals in 184 appearances with Egypt, was recently involved in a dispute with his club Zamalek over unpaid dues, but he has nonetheless retained his place in the team’s starting line-up. “Bradley picked players who do not play while I was left out although I’m playing regularly with Zamalek. This proves that his decision was not based on technical reasons,” he added. “Anyway, joining the national team is not as important as it used to be. In the past, players were elated to earn an Egypt call-up and spend just one day with the team. This is no longer the case.”