Reason for Imam Ashour's exclusion from Egypt national team

Abdel Nasser Zidan has revealed the reason for Ali Maher, the head coach of the Egypt national team, excluding Imam Ashour, the Al Ahly and Pharaohs player.

Zinedine Zidane, in statements made on the "Stadium Egypt" program broadcast on "Modern MTI" channel, said: "Ali Maher rejected the inclusion of Imam Ashour in the Egypt national team squad for the matches against Malawi in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, despite his technical and physical readiness and participation in Al Ahly's collective training."

He added: "There is complete conviction among the new coaching staff of the Egypt national team regarding Imam Ashour and his abilities, but Ali Maher refused to go against Al Ahly, who excluded the player from the last five matches."

He added: "Ali Maher knows well that signing Imam Ashour, despite not participating with his team in matches recently, could mean entering into a clear challenge with the officials of Al Ahly and their fans, which is why he refused to call up the player and avoided a clash with the Red Castle."

He added: "The surprise is that Hossam Hassan, the former coach of the Egypt national team, who was dismissed from his position, had already decided to include Imam Ashour, regardless of his absence from Al Ahly's recent matches."