What is the truth behind the statement attributed to former player Mohamed Aboutrika about Iraq's loss to Morocco in the Paris Olympics?
News was circulated on social media with the following text: "Mohamed Aboutrika: What happened with the Iraqi national team is a sin. I saw players standing like statues, watching the ball go into the goal. There was no training idea, no plan, nothing. Just players running after the ball."
The Truth
Our team searched for the circulating claim attributed to the former player (Mohamed Aboutrika) regarding the Iraq-Morocco match, and no source was found to prove its validity.
No local or international media outlets have circulated such a statement by Aboutrika, nor has Aboutrika recently appeared in a video or statement on his official social media accounts in which he spoke about the Iraq-Morocco match at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The circulation of this claim comes after the Iraq-Morocco match on July 30, 2024, which ended with the Iraqi national team losing and the Moroccan national team qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics with a score of three goals to nothing, which led to adverse reactions from some Iraqi fans towards the national team and its coach (Radhi Shenaishil).
Who is Mohamed Aboutrika?
A former international football player born in Giza Governorate, Egypt in 1978.
He started his sports career at Tersana SC and then moved to the ranks of the Red Club in 2004, coming from Al-Shawakeesh.
Aboutrika joined the Egyptian national team for the first time in 2001 under the leadership of Mahmoud El-Gohary and played as a substitute in several matches.
He won several victories, including (the title of the best player in the African continent on four occasions, winning seven titles in the Egyptian League, winning the Egypt Cup twice, winning the local Super Cup five times, and the African Super Cup four times).