🧤 Shobier Explains Egypt’s Goalkeeping Situation
Media personality Ahmed Shobier revealed new details about the goalkeeper situation surrounding the Egypt national team before its World Cup 2026 match against Iran.
Shobier said there had been no prior agreement for Mohamed El Shenawy to start the game and that head coach Hossam Hassan had not finalized the goalkeeper before the players entered the dressing room.
🇪🇬 Mostafa Shobier Was Initially Named to Start
According to Ahmed Shobier, Hossam Hassan initially informed the players that Mostafa Shobier would start against Iran.
Mohamed El Shenawy then spoke with Egypt team director Ibrahim Hassan and expressed his desire to play in the match, with Shobier explaining that the goalkeeper viewed the occasion as a major personal honor.
The potential appearance would have given El Shenawy the chance to become the first Egyptian goalkeeper to play in two World Cup editions.
🔄 Ibrahim Hassan Passes on El Shenawy’s Request
Shobier explained that Ibrahim Hassan then informed Hossam Hassan about El Shenawy’s request.
The Egypt coach subsequently decided to bring El Shenawy into the starting lineup instead of Mostafa Shobier.
Shobier added that Mostafa accepted the decision calmly and responded to Hossam Hassan: “Of course, coach.”
📋 Match Squad Submission Changed the Situation
Shobier revealed that the administrative staff later discovered that the match squad had already been submitted, making a normal change impossible.
According to his account, the team then effectively had two options: declare El Shenawy injured and remove him from the squad, or keep him on the list and lose one of the available substitutions.
Neither option was ultimately used, and Hossam Hassan decided to play Mostafa Shobier in goal.
🎙️ Shobier: This Is the Full Story
Ahmed Shobier stressed that, from his perspective, these were the complete circumstances surrounding the situation before the match.
He rejected the idea that there had been a prior agreement for Mohamed El Shenawy to start or that Mostafa Shobier had been informed in advance that the decision would change.
The account adds another layer to the discussion surrounding Egypt’s goalkeeping situation ahead of the Iran match, particularly the sequence of events that led to the final decision regarding the starting goalkeeper.
