CAIRO: Egypt’s American coach Bob Bradley stays put despite football riots Egypt’s American boss Bob Bradley denied having blamed Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for last month’s Port Said tragedy that left more than 70 fans dead and hundreds injured.
Bradley came in for criticism after he discussed Egypt’s worst-ever football disaster, which occurred when thousands of Masry fans stormed the pitch following a league match against Al-Ahly, in an interview with the BBC.
Former Egypt coach Mohsen Saleh went so far as to accuse Bradley of being part of a “conspiracy” orchestrated by United States operatives in Egypt.
Bradley, who took over Egypt’s national team after the departure of Hassan Shehata, had said: “It’s clear that this was not a typical case of fan violence. There are camera reports that the gate was shut; one of the first things you see is that police are doing nothing. I hear opinions from people who say the military . . . is almost trying to say, ‘Fine, you want us out? Then this is what it’s gonna be like without us.’
“When you read stuff like this, then you see what took place, then you read some of the inside reports from Masry players who did not even recognise supposed Masry fans… when you start piecing all this together, then, as everybody knows, this was not just fan violence.”
Speaking after Egypt’s 2-1 friendly win over Uganda in Sudan, Bradley said his comments had been taken out of context.
He added: “Those who attacked me focused on a few seconds of the interview, ignoring the rest of it. This isn’t my opinion. I just meant that I hear conflicting opinions from people about the state of the country. I love Egypt and its people, and I will continue to work here.”
Bradley is currently preparing the Pharaohs for four matches in June in the World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifiers.
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