Besiktas midfielder Ahmed Hassan denied claims that he was suspended and reduced to train with the youth team by coach Jean Tigana. Turkish media reports claimed the French manager banned Hassan for arriving late in Turkey after participating in Egypt's African Cup of Nations campaign. “I wasn't suspended by Tigana,” the Egypt skipper told Filgoal.com exclusively on Sunday. “He excluded me from the squad for the team's match for this weekend and next week because he understands I'm not physically ready after playing six games in 20 days.” The 30-year-old midfielder played a pivotal role in Egypt's African Cup winning campaign and was rewarded by being named Player of the tournament, which took place on home soil from January 20th to February 10th. “Training with the youth team was my decision, because I wanted to get back into shape,” he said. “Anyhow, I am currently training solo so I can catch up with my teammates.”
Jean Tigana Hassan, however, did admit that his coach was upset about his late arrival from Egypt, noting that he did not expect to be treated this way upon his return. “I though they (Besiktas officials) would celebrate my achievement upon my arrival in Turkey,” Hassan said. “Konyaspor did it for (Abdul-Zaher) Al-Saqqa who also returned on the same day as I did,” he added. Hassan said that if Tigana excluded him from the squad as a punishment, then its actually the team's loss not his. “A little break won't hurt, but if he is sidelining me for being late then he's actually punishing the team. “Besiktas are going through hard times and they need all the help they can get,” he said. Besiktas, who lost their last two games in the Turkish league, are currently in fourth place on 32 points.
