Coach Hossam Hassan branded his Telecom Egypt spell a success despite the team's relegation from the Egyptian Premier League. The former Egypt striker took over at the club following the sacking of Helmi Toulan in March after a string of poor results. Telecom relatively improved following his appointment but did not do enough to retain their top-flight status, finishing third from bottom on 32 points. "The team have produced good results since I arrived," Hassan told a news conference following Telecom's 2-0 victory over Asyut Petroleum on Thursday. "We concluded the season by putting in a fine display against Asyut. It was a successful spell for me." Hassan, whose first managerial experience came with Masri last year, has still not decided whether he will remain with Telecom. "I don't know yet," the former Ahli and Zamalek star responded when asked about his future. "Several teams made offers for me but I have yet to consider them."
Lenient Telecom needed a gift from Ittihad, who were facing their relegation rivals Ghazl Mahalla, to remain in the Premier League. But Mahalla overcame Ittihad 2-0 to stay one point clear of Telecom. An own goal from Ittihad keeper Al-Hani Soliman and a superb strike from midfielder Salah Soliman handed The Peasants invaluable three points. Telecom chairman Akil Bashir accused Ittihad, who were already safe, of having a lenient approach to the game. "It was clear that Ittihad were not doing their best. How did Ittihad's international keeper concede Mahalla's first goal?" Bashir told Nile Sports. "We will lodge an official complaint to the Egyptian FA and I hope the Ittihad-Mahalla match commissioner will report all the incidents that happened in the game."
