The Egyptian Squash Federation said, on Monday, that it has supported player Mohamed El Shorbagy throughout his career so far, in response to the decision of the former world number one, to play in the name of England, “the country that has supported me for years,” as he put it.
In a lengthy statement, the federation praised the player, describing him as “a diligent and talented family member who is interested in sports and especially interested in squash, and his brother, Marwan El-Shorbagy, player of the Egyptian men’s team.”
The Federation said, “Mohamed received his education abroad and preferred to reside in Bristol, England, where he completed his secondary education and then university, and during this period (since 2013) he was called to represent Egypt in the men’s world championships, and he had various apologies in this regard. Knowing that his younger brother, Marwan Al-Shorbagy, always responded quickly when he was with the national team.
He stated that “the player was receiving many financial contributions from the Egyptian Squash Federation in accordance with the regulations and ministerial decisions issued by the Ministry of Youth and Sports over the past years, as well as paying the annual subscription fees to the Professional Players Organization PSA.”
He pointed out that the player was honored by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and received the Sports Medal of the First Class on January 1, 2018.
The federation statement added that “the player was requesting assistance from the federation at different times, for example, when he lost his passport in Hong Kong – December 2015”.
The statement attributed the player’s continued residency in England “until he reaches the age of reconciliation to obtain a final exemption from military service for not performing military service after graduating.”
The federation indicated that it was expected that the player would represent England on any future occasion, after seeking to obtain British citizenship with the help of another English player.
The federation downplayed El-Shorbagy’s decision, noting that “Egypt has many talented players, as evidenced by the presence of six Egyptian players among the top 10 players in the world in the international classification. They are all professionals, and every professional player has his personal convictions, as he depends on his income on his financial prizes.”
The statement came after the player’s decision caused a sensation in Egypt, especially after his statements, that England had given him all the support he needed for many years.
Al-Shorbagy said that this decision will help him complete the remainder of his professional sports career, “stressing that the matter is not related to financial matters.”
He added, “As you grow up, you need to have a doctor and a special coach with you in every tournament, these things were not provided to me before, and for many years no one thought of, and I needed help, which is what England provided for me at a time when I needed support.”
And the player expressed that he was feeling “extremely upset” when he arrived at Cairo Airport and saw the pictures of his fellow Egyptian squash professionals, proud of them, “But I am the only one who is not in these pictures, although I won 44 championships, and the most Egyptian player wins professional championships, and I stayed for fifty. A month ranked number one in the world, which means that I am the most Egyptian in history to have risen to the throne of squash. He added that he was never offered any “Egyptian shepherd”.
He added, “When the officials in England came to talk to me about it, they came to me in my worst season of performance, in which I did not reach the quarter-finals in any tournament for six months, but they believed in my abilities and my return.”
But he expressed his gratitude to the fans and said, “People did not harm me in anything, they are just some individuals who treated me poorly,” adding, “I love my country, Egypt, and I achieved a lot for it, but the time has come when I must think of myself.”
He expressed his aspiration to win another world championship and return to first place under the English flag, and to help form a new generation of players in England, noting that he had told the officials of this.
He said there was a lot of talent in England “and I was like them once, I had a lot of potential and a good talent, but I was lucky enough to have the right people around me and the right mindset.”
For his part, Michael Williams, chief executive of the England squash team, expressed his confidence in the player’s ability to “inspire and encourage current and future generations of English talent”.
El Shorbagy will participate for the first time under the England flag in the Mauritius Open between June 7-11, which is one of the rounds of the PSA World Championship, followed by participating in the British Squash Championship in Manchester between June 14-18.