Stock City's Egyptian midfielder Ramadan Sobhi has denied reports of a rift with Pharaohs boss Hector Cuper, assuring that he respects all decisions by the coach.
Sobhi sat on the bench during Egypt's 1-0 win over Ghana on Wednesday, leading to speculation that Cuper decided to punish the young midfielder for his behaviour in the Uganda game earlier this week, which Egypt won 1-0.
The 19-year-old reportedly expressed his displeasure over Cuper's decision to replace him during the Uganda game, kicking a water bottle while exiting the pitch at the 70th minute.
However, Sobhi denied that there is a rift with Cuper, insisting that he was merely upset at not being allowed to continue the game.
“I always accept all coach decisions,” Sobhi told ON Sports TV channel on Thursday. “I was sad to quit the game against Uganda at this stage.”
“I was worried about the team's fate in the tournament. The score was 0-0 and we were desperate to win the game to keep our chances alive in the competition.”
“I had the desire to complete the game to help the team win, so I appeared angry.”
The former Ahly player insisted that the former Inter-Milan manager is a “great coach” and that all the players respect his decisions and his vision.
“Our target is to win all the games in this tournament,” said Sobhi. “It is not important who will start or who will sit on the bench. Our priority is only to win.”
Egypt will have a tough clash on Sunday when they face Morocco in the tournament's quarter-finals.
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