Egypt Goalkeeper Abou-Gabal Breaks Silence After CAF Awarded Mendy AFCON’s Best Goalkeeper Award

Egypt Goalkeeper Abou-Gabal Breaks Silence After CAF Awarded Mendy AFCON’s Best Goalkeeper Award

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:55 PM
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  • Mohamed Abou-Gabal believes he had a better outing at the just concluded AFCON tournament in Cameroon ahead of Edouard Mendy
  • The Egyptian goalkeeper was ignored by CAF as the continental body handed his Senegalese counterpart the best goalkeeper of the tournament award
  • Gabaski has now disclosed that Mendy also admitted his superior performance, but they meet again in March during the World Cup playoffs

The goalkeeper of the Egyptian national football team Mohamed Abou-Gabal, famously known as ‘Gabaski’, has questioned CAF for awarding Senegal’s Edouard Mendy the best goalkeeper award at the just concluded AFCON tournament in Cameroon.

Gabaski believes he had a superior performance at the continental showpiece ahead of Mendy who won the competition with the Teranga Lions.

The Pharaohs of Egypt narrowly missed out on the coveted title losing to Senegal via penalty shootout, but many of their stars shone at the competition.

Abou-Gabal
Mohamed Abou-Gabal not impressed with CAF's decision to award Mendy AFCOn's best goalie award. Photo: Ulrik Pedersen
Source: Getty Images

Gabaski the penalty-saving specialist

The goalie was instrumental to the Pharaohs’ success at the competition having made two saves each in the penalty shootout against Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

He also saved Sadio Mane’s spot-kick during the cause of the final, but CAF disagree, as they named Senegal’s Edouard Mendy the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

What did Gabaski say?

Zamalek goalkeeper addressed the situation, claiming that Mendy himself told him that he played better. Gabaski told MBC Masr as per Complete Sports:

“Even if I won the individual award, it won’t make any difference because we lost the Africa Cup of Nations title.
“I think my numbers are slightly better than Mendy’s, but CAF choices are often odd.
“Mendy himself said that I played better, he told me to keep going as we’ll meet again in the World Cup qualifiers next March.”

Mane opens up on what he told Salah

Meanwhile, Sadio Mane has opened up on what he said to Mohamed Salah after his Senegal side stunned Egypt to win the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Mane warmed hearts shortly after the final whistle of the Sunday, February 6, final staged at the Paul Biya Stadium as went over to console a teary Salah.

The Senegalese winger was the man of the moment during the thrilling clash as his spot-kick won the Lions of Teranga their first-ever AFCON title.

Mohamed Salah’s dressing room speech caught on camera

Sports Brief earlier reported that Mohamed Salah has delivered a rousing dressing room speech to his Egypt teammates following their loss to Senegal in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be for the Egyptian king in 2022, but he still has plenty of time to right those wrongs and there is no one who better knows that fact than the man himself.

Speaking in the aftermath of the brutal final loss, while the Senegalese contingent celebrated only yards away, Salah showed his elite mentality.

Authors
Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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