Egyptian squash player Marwan El-Shorbagy, ranked sixth in the world, is preparing to participate in the upcoming tournaments under the flag of England, after announcing his joining the England national team in order to “present something to the country that gave him everything,” as he said, which caused widespread controversy in Egypt. .
El-Shorbagy announced the representation of the England national team a year after his brother Mohamed took the same step, which caused a stir at the time in the world of squash, amid fears that more Egyptian players would resort to naturalization in favor of other countries.
The 30-year-old player confirmed, in statements to the official website of the International Squash Federation, that the move “comes from his desire to start a new chapter in his career, as well as to return the favor to the country in which he lived for about 16 years, whether for study or sports and training with many British coaches.”
Asim Khalifa, head of the Egyptian Squash Federation, told Sky News Arabia about Marwan El Shorbagy’s withdrawal from the Egyptian national team, saying: “I received a phone call from Marwan on Sunday morning, a few hours before the FA announced his inclusion in the national team, in order to inform me of his final decision.”
Khalifa added: “The call was very short, in which he told me that he wanted to settle in England and reside there permanently, and he finds that representing the England national team in squash tournaments is the best choice for him during the coming period, and he expressed his keenness for the information to reach us in the federation before announcing it officially.”
“We didn’t fall short with you”
And the President of the Egyptian Squash Federation continued: “I told Marwan that we never fell short with you throughout your career. We try to overcome all obstacles for you and your fellow champions, and provide all needs as much as possible. He agreed with my speech and confirmed that his decision stemmed from long thinking about his sporting future and his personal desire.”
Khalifa explains that he had previously communicated with the world’s sixth-ranked after his brother represented the England national team in June of last year, noting that “Marawan stressed at that time that he would continue to play under the Egyptian flag, and that his position was different from his brother’s.”
Khalifa goes on: “Marwan’s point of view eventually changed. It is possible that his brother Muhammad’s travel to England was one of the factors influencing his decision in addition to his residence there for years, and his need to obtain British citizenship, in addition to the many temptations that were offered to him in recent times.”
And the president of the federation believes that the solution to the “bleeding of naturalization” is to “focus on discovering new talents, nurturing talented young people, and helping new generations to appear strongly in various sports forums with squash, to rely on them in different age stages.”
He concluded his remarks to “Sky News Arabia”: “Egypt possesses an elite group of international squash players, and we have a very promising generation that gives us a sense of reassurance, whether from young men or girls. In the past hours, we succeeded in winning the World Junior Championships in Australia with overwhelming superiority.”
Who is Marwan Al Shorbagy?
He was born in Alexandria Governorate on July 30, 1993. He played 461 matches under the Egyptian flag over the course of 12 years. He won 297 matches in various international tournaments. He participated in 28 final matches, and succeeded in capturing 13 world championships. The highest ranking Marawan achieved is the third in the world. He maintained his presence in the top 10 list in the world for about two years.
2023-07-30 13:45:47
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