Mohamed Murad said in statements via "BeIN Sports" channel: "This statement, with all due respect to the coach of the South African national team, can only be described as a humorous statement, and such talk cannot affect a player of the size and value of Mohamed Salah."
He added: “There are some coaches who are good at making provocative statements after a loss in order to distract from the result or performance, and I think what happened with Hugo Broos falls under this category, especially since what transpired between him and Mohamed Salah after the match did not go beyond the usual pleasantries, such as wishing good luck, without any talk related to the penalty kick or the course of the match.”
He continued: "I absolutely do not believe that a player with Mohamed Salah's mentality could make such statements. There was a referee for the match and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, and all respect and appreciation to the refereeing team. The penalty kick was clear and correct."
He continued: "What is most important for us is the victory of the Egyptian national team and gaining three important points. Attention should not be diverted to such side statements, but rather the focus should be on the performance and the result."
He stressed: "I categorically and definitively deny that Mohamed Salah made any statement or indication regarding this matter, and no such conversation took place at all."
Mohamed Salah scored Egypt's only goal from a penalty kick, giving his team the lead and qualification for the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Egyptian national team managed to achieve victory in the first round match against the Zimbabwean national team with a score of 2-1, and will conclude its journey in the group stage next Monday evening.
