Omar Asr reveals the scenes of the African Championship crisis… and the President of the Federation: My son made a mistake and the investigation is underway with both parties

The star of the Egyptian table tennis team, Omar Asr, confirmed that what happened during the recent African Championship had nothing to do with the spirit of sportsmanship, pointing out that the crisis that occurred between him and the player Mahmoud Ashraf, the son of the president of the game federation, Ashraf Helmy, was a surprise to everyone, and that he had not issued any inappropriate behavior, while the president of the federation admitted his son’s mistake in the incident, stressing that an investigation would be conducted with both parties as soon as the delegation returned to Cairo.

Omar Asr said, in media statements, that the team suffers from the absence of the most basic elements of technical and medical support, noting that he played the last match despite suffering a muscle tear, while his teammate Mohamed Al-Bali was suffering from a strain in his neck, and he said: “We informed the technical staff of the health condition at the request of the president of the federation, but unfortunately the team does not have a doctor or fitness coach, and this is a difficult matter for a team that represents Egypt."

Regarding the details of the crisis with Mahmoud Ashraf, Omar explained: “We were training normally and greeted each other in the morning, but before the match he refused to come and join us in reading Al-Fatiha, and we were surprised. During the match, the whole team was cheering, and he was sitting on the bench, cross-legged, holding the mobile phone. This was the first time I saw him on the field. After the match, I extended my hand to greet him, but he refused and left, and I did not react."

He continued: "Then he came back again in the same way, and I said, “We will not be able to continue the match while he is sitting like this. At that time, he started to get angry and came towards me, and this is what sparked the crisis, and he did not issue me any offense.”"

Omar denied the rumors about preventing him. Mahmoud was prevented from climbing to the podium, explaining that the decision was made by the technical staff to avoid aggravating the situation, stressing his respect for all his colleagues, and calling on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to investigate the incident independently to ensure justice.

For his part, Ashraf Helmy, President of the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation and father of the player Mahmoud, commented on the crisis, saying in a television interview: "The incident is unfortunate, and Mahmoud is indeed my son, but I must tell the truth. He made a mistake by not shaking Omar’s hand, and the video is clear, but on the other hand, it was not appropriate for some words to come from Omar, because he is a great hero and has value."

Helmy clarified that the circulating video does not show all the details of the incident, indicating that the official investigation will be conducted after the team returns, and he said: "The investigation will depend On the report of Captain Ashraf Abdel Fattah, head of the mission, who will explain everything that happened. Both of them will be subject to investigation, and we will review all the details before making any decision."

He added:"Even if there was a previous dispute, the disputes should be preferred outside the field, because the players play in the name of Egypt, and the focus must be on the competition and not on personal matters."

The Federation President concluded his statements, stressing his keenness on discipline within the team: "We are proud of the historic achievement achieved by the team, but we must maintain the values of respect and discipline, and we hope that this will be the last incident of its kind within the national teams."

With this, the repercussions of the crisis that cast a shadow over the Egyptian team’s historic achievement in the African Championship continue, awaiting what the results of the official investigation will produce.

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