Trabzonspor block Trezeguet’s Olympic dream

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Jun 26, 2024. 12:15

Egyptian forward Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ has been denied the chance to represent his country at the 2024 Olympic Games by Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor.

Trezeguet was hoping to be part of Egypt’s squad competing in the Men’s Football tournament at Paris 2024, but Trabzonspor have denied his request.

The Turkish club have cited their Europa League campaign – which begins on July 25 with a first-leg qualifier against either Ružomberok of Slovakia or Tobol of Kazakhstan – as reason for withholding their Pharaohs star.

The Olympics officially run from July 26 to August 11, though the Men’s Football tournament gets underway earlier, starting on July 24.

This is a second Olympic heartache for Trezeguet, who was included in Egypt’s provisional list for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but missed out after suffering from an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.

Egypt will participate in the Men’s Football tournament in the Olympics for the 12th time. They reached the semifinals twice in 1928 and 1964 but have never won an Olympic medal.

The North Africans, who earned their spot in Paris 2024 by being runners-up at the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, will face the Dominican Republic (July 24), Uzbekistan (July 27) and Spain (July 30) in Group C.