Fiorentina'a Ahmed Hegazy in Vodafone ad (snapshot)
Ahly legend Mahmoud El-Khateeb said Saturday he did not mean to abuse journalists in a television advertisement that incurred the wrath of the Egyptian Sports Critics Association (ESCA).
The ESCA filed a complaint against Vodafone and El-Khateeb, nicknamed Bibo, with the general prosecutor Thursday after the ad was broadcast.
Narrated by Bibo, the advertisement shows Egypt’s Olympic team players advised not to listen to anyone who might stop them from accomplishing their ambitions.
“And what would you say to those who work hard to ensure your failure, not their success?” Bibo asks, while Egypt defender Ahmed Hegazy runs between piles of newspapers with two men throwing papers at him. Hegazy looks at them and kicks the newspapers.
In a statement released Saturday, Bibo insisted he holds Egyptian journalists in high esteem.
“This message is directed to journalists, whom I credit along with the fans with helping me become the figure I’m now. I never imagined that I would attack them at any point of my life, even if I’m fiercely criticised,” he said.
“After I learned that journalists are angry at the TV ad, I spoke to the mobile company’s (Vodafone) officials, who said they released a statement to deny any intention to attack the press. They also removed the controversial scenes.
“It was a painful time for me that some people thought I would do something to tarnish the relationship between me and journalists. They are one of the main reasons of my success,” he added.
Bibo, a prominent forward in the 1970s and 1980s, is arguably Egypt’s best-ever footballer.
He won many domestic and continental titles with Ahly and guided the Egyptian national team to the 1986 African Nations Cup triumph on home soil.
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