Masri coach Hossam Hassan said on Thursday that Egyptian FA officials are mistreating him because they are jealous of his success. The 42-year-old was handed a six-match touchline ban on Wednesday for trying to assault the referee of Masri's 2-1 Egyptian League defeat to Telecom Egypt. Hassan, who was also fined EGP 50,000, started the new season on the sidelines, serving a three-match ban imposed after last season's finale. The former Egypt striker, who won a record 170 international caps, branded the punishments 'unfair' and said that he is being penalized for his success. "Some people attacked me when I was at my peak as a player and called for my retirement," Hassan told FilGoal.com. "Those people are also attacking me now after witnessing my success as a coach. "The unfair treatment I receive does not bother me, because that means I'm a successful man. They wouldn't have acted like this if I was not successful. "Making an immediate impact as a coach angered many people, including some fellow managers who are yet to leave their mark despite beginning their coaching career many years ago."
Biased Hassan also stated that the Egyptian FA favors Cairo duo Ahli and Zamalek. "If the managers of Ahli and Zamalek had a behavior similar to mine, the Egyptian FA would have never punished them." "Company-owned clubs are also favored by the Egyptian FA. But Masri, as well as several other teams, are being targeted for having a big fan base." Hassan believes the Egyptian FA should improve the standard of refereeing rather than imposing 'unnecessary' fines on their criticizers. "Egyptian refereeing is very poor. We did not have a single referee to represent us in the 2006 and the 2008 African Cup of Nations." "And in our local matches, we appoint referees from countries like Seychelles and Mauritius," he concluded.
