Sports presenter Ahmed Hassan, the former Egyptian football star, issued a warning to the Egyptian national team ahead of their match against Benin in the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Egyptian national team will face the Benin national team next Monday in the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Ahmed Hassan said in statements on the "dmc" channel: "The upcoming phase will be extremely difficult, and the round of 16 in particular will not be easy at all. All the upcoming matches will be highly challenging and will not be easy for any participating team."

He added: "We hope, God willing, that the match will be within reach for the Egyptian team and that we can secure a ticket to the quarterfinals. However, this requires a great deal of caution and focus, which necessitates warning the players about the seriousness of the encounter. There is no room for negligence in football, as this game does not recognize history."

Ahmed Hassan continued: "It is true that the Egyptian national team has strong players and a rich history with a great standing both continentally and internationally, but what happens on the field is completely different from theoretical calculations."

He concluded: "The Benin national team is one of the strong teams and has the ability to win any match. This requires us to approach the game with utmost seriousness and to maintain the highest levels of focus and discipline in order to achieve our goal."