ATLANTA (AP) — Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has withdrawn from discussions about the team’s future activities. world cup During the Round of 16 match against Argentina, he spoke passionately about the plight of the Palestinian people.
Mr. Hassan, waved the Palestinian flag He spoke on the subject for more than four minutes on Monday after Egypt’s victory over Australia in the final round, drawing applause from the large crowd of media gathered.
“If there is anyone in the world who does not sympathize with the Palestinians, he is not human, whether he is an Arab, a European or an American,” Hassan said at a press conference Tuesday previewing the match between Egypt and defending champion Argentina.
More than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza are largely displaced and living in ruins, facing insecurity after the war that began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. A total of 73,066 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli retaliation, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
“Anywhere in the world, including Europe and America, when someone hurts an animal, animal rights are upheld and the whole world reacts,” Hassan said. “It has become commonplace to hear about 2,000 or 3,000 people being killed by missiles a day.”
The war has sparked pro-Palestinian protests around the world, with athletes including Spain’s Lamine Yamal expressing support.
FIFA has announced that it is permitted to display the Palestinian flag at the World Cup.
“Regardless of religion…I am a human being before I am Arab or not. My message through football is this: I hope that people’s right to life will be respected, just as the FIFA slogan asks us to respect it,” Hassan said.
If Egypt defeats Argentina, they will advance to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Hassan said, “My dreams have no limits. My ambitions also have no limits. I promise to do my best to live up to (the fans’) expectations.” “We are not losers. We are great in every way. We are a civilization that is 7,000 years old, or more than 7,000 years old.”
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Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
