The Egyptian ambassador to Cameroon, Medhat El-Meligy, said before the two teams met: “The Jaboma Stadium has a number of problems that the Ivory Coast and Algeria national teams complained about during the group stage matches. All complaints reached the African Union, which demanded that the stadium be repaired, and indeed that was done.”
El-Meligy added in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”: “I contacted CAF officials to discuss the Jaboma stadium crisis, and they told me that the stadium had been completely repaired, and that it would be fully prepared to receive the match between Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire.”
He continued, “The CAF officials assured me that Jaboma Stadium no longer poses any danger to the players regarding the possibility of causing any injuries. What I learned is that the Egyptian team made an inspection visit to the stadium to review its readiness and inspect it, to achieve the principle of equal opportunities, as the Cote d’Ivoire team had previously He played all his group matches on the same stadium.
Regarding the Egyptian team’s preparation for the upcoming confrontation, El-Meligy said: “I am in constant contact with the technical staff of the Egyptian team in order to reassure the players. The morale of the players of the Egyptian national team before facing Côte d’Ivoire is very excellent and they have a desire to win the match and they are all enthusiastic to give their utmost to make the fans happy.” Egyptian”.
He pointed out that “it is historically known about the Egyptian national team that it is at its best when its players play matches under pressure, and facing Côte d’Ivoire will be loaded with several pressures, most notably the attempt to satisfy public opinion by improving performance despite the good results recorded.”
He went on to explain, “The other pressure placed on the players of the Egyptian national team is that the Cote d’Ivoire match will be held in the knockout system, meaning that there will be no other opportunities to compensate, and this match must be won.”
The Egyptian ambassador concluded his speech by saying: “Facing Côte d’Ivoire is not difficult or impossible, it just needs determination, sweat and a firm plan from coach Queiroz, and the players of the Egyptian national team have the determination and determination to win.”