It was awkward to see a high-profile player like Hosni Abd-Rabou hosted by Al-Hayat TV to 'analyze' Egyptian league matches. Yes he is on a long-term injury, yes he has some free time and yes it might not affect his status as a footballer, but it is still inappropriate. Abd-Rabou is still 25, and being one of the stars of the Egypt team does not make him a football pundit. It simply proves that anyone within the football industry is qualified to get involved in anything related to the game (only in Egypt of course). It is also unsuitable for a footballer to appear on TV and assess his potential teammates and criticize managers who are supposedly more knowledgeable than him. So he will most likely opt for a criticism-free analysis, which doesn't make sense after all.
It simply proves that anyone within the football industry is qualified to get involved in anything related to the game (only in Egypt of course). While the number of sports channels is on the up, football analysts are becoming more and more specialized, with most of them working under official contracts. Hani Ramzy, Egypt's Olympic team manager, was reprimanded by the FA for appearing as a host on Nile Sport TV a few weeks ago. I wonder why such a regulation does not apply on international footballers as well. If anyone has the right to accept such a role, it is Ahmed Hassan; a vastly-experienced veteran who has what it takes to analyze matches. Yet the Ahli star doesn't seem to be interested. The funny thing is that Abd-Rabou was accompanied by Tarek Yehia, the current manager of MCDR, in the studio. Gaish boss Farouk Gaafar is another employed manager who puts his fellow colleagues under the microscope with his usually-harsh analysis. In Egypt, as long as you are famous, you can do anything !
