Mo Salah has ‘done nothing’ for Egypt and ‘should have done much better’, ex-coach says
- Former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata says Liverpool star is ‘one of the stars of the world’ but ‘must provide more when he plays for his country’
- Egypt this year lost Africa Cup of Nations final and World Cup qualification play-off, both in shoot-outs – with Salah missing his penalty in the latter
Mohamed Salah has achieved “nothing” with Egypt and the Liverpool star must raise his level when featuring for the national team, according to former Pharaohs coach Hassan Shehata.
In response, Egypt’s former sports and youth minister Khaled Abdel Aziz defended the forward, calling him a wonderful ambassador and unifying figure for the country.
Salah scored 31 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions for Liverpool as they won the EFL Cup and FA Cup last season, also finishing as runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League.
But the forward experienced a more frustrating campaign on the international front, as Egypt lost the Africa Cup of Nations final on penalties to Senegal in February and suffered the same fate in March’s crucial World Cup qualification play-off – with Salah missing from the spot in the latter contest.
Those disappointing results have led Shehata, who coached Egypt from 2004 to 2011 and won consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010, to call for improvements from Salah.
“We all know that Salah is one of the stars of the world and not just one of the stars of Egypt,” he told Sada al-Balad. “The awards he took and the goals he scored give him the right to be the top star.
