Egypt coach Helmi Toulan. Photo courtesy of EFA.
Egypt ended their group campaign with a humbling 3-0 defeat by a second-string Jordan side, finishing third in Group C on two points.
“I take full responsibility and do not shirk it,” Toulan told a post-match news conference.
“I am not looking for excuses, but the person who had the authority to suspend the league and chose not to is responsible for this humiliating exit.”
Toulan was referring to the Egyptian Pro League’s refusal to postpone Pyramids FC fixtures, which would have allowed the club’s players to join his squad for the regional tournament.
He had initially called up seven Pyramids players, but only striker Marwan Hamdi was released after the EPL insisted Pyramids play two league matches as scheduled.
“Everyone knows the quality of Pyramids’ players. We were deprived of them because of others’ decisions, as the league was suspended only for Ahly, Zamalek and Masry - not for Pyramids,” he said.
“They told us the league was more important than the national team, something that has never happened before,” he added.
The 76-year-old was appointed to lead Egypt’s second-string team at the Arab Cup while the senior side prepares for the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from 21 December to 18 January in Morocco.
Toulan said he accepted the role under difficult circumstances in the hope of contributing something meaningful to the country.
“I was given this responsibility for three months to prepare a team for the tournament,” he said.
“I accepted it without any financial compensation, hoping to give back even a small part of what the country has given us.”
Egypt opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Kuwait and another 1-1 draw with the United Arab Emirates before the 3-0 loss to Jordan sealed their elimination.
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