“After Argentina, who will we face? We’ll face Mona El-Shazly,” a sarcastic joke that went viral on social media among Egyptian fans on the eve of Argentina’s match in the Round of 16 of the World Cup. Given the strength of the Argentine team and its stars, the public mocked by nominating Egyptian media figure Mona El-Shazly as a potential opponent after exiting the World Cup, by hosting the “Pharaohs” players on her entertainment TV show.

The show “With You, Mona El-Shazly” is one of the most prominent entertainment programs in Egypt, currently airing on ON TV. The program hosts people who have topped search engines or trends following personal achievements or issues that occupied public opinion.

As official and popular celebrations of the Egyptian national team continued, along with intense media appearances by its players and technical staff since their arrival in Egypt last Friday, the joke was used again in the form: “Who will the team face after Mona El-Shazly?” Others replied: “Then we’ll play Esaad Younes in the quarterfinals.”

Egyptian international Emam Ashour with his family during celebrations with fans (Egyptian Football Association)

Since the return of the Egyptian national team after its elimination in the famous match against Argentina, following a 2-3 loss, local media have not stopped celebrating the players and the technical and administrative staff through numerous interviews that filled the media. But what initially seemed like a deserved tribute soon turned into material for criticism and mockery, due to what was described as “excessive joy” and celebrating an incomplete achievement, albeit exceptional in some aspects.

The “Pharaohs” reaching the Round of 16 is the best achievement for the Egyptian national team in the World Cup, as it had never advanced beyond the group stage in its three previous participations in 1934, 1990, and 2018, nor had it ever achieved any victory in its history.

Fan criticism began with the tribute in the new city of El Alamein, where many felt the reception was more official than popular, and that the absence of fans weakened the joy of the World Cup achievement.

As the tribute moved to Cairo Stadium, the debate continued; some felt that the fan scene served its purpose, but at the same time it opened the door to questions about the usefulness of exaggerated celebrations after elimination from the competition.

Thousands of Egyptian fans celebrated their national team at Cairo Stadium on Monday evening, honoring its results in the World Cup. The Egyptian national team players and technical staff entered the pitch in an open-top bus to greet the attending fans, before moving on to musical segments and celebrations with the fans.

However, some criticism was raised about the successive celebrations over the past days, which some saw as excessive, as social media platforms witnessed expressions of this criticism, with Egyptian artists and followers joining in.

Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan with media figure Mona El-Shazly (ON TV page on Facebook)

Artist Ahmed El-Saadni criticized the Cairo Stadium celebration, calling for its cancellation, noting that the tribute by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the delegation and then the intense media appearances were sufficient, explaining that “things are getting really messed up,” indicating that things were losing seriousness and turning into exaggeration.

Artist Taha Desouky also expressed his displeasure with the content of questions and discussions with the national team players and technical staff on several TV programs, stressing that this opportunity should have been used to present dialogues worthy of the achievement the team made.

Desouky wrote on his Facebook account: “We haven’t even written questions, and we’re finishing it off with sweetness, whether it happened or not, and everyone wants to catch the trend, and we’re living in a big mess like a wedding procession.”

Several other platform users expressed the same criticisms in their posts through disapproval and sarcasm. One female fan commented on the Cairo Stadium event: “Joy is sweet... and the party is beautiful.. but they should reduce Mona El-Shazly’s interviews.”

While the appearance of coach Hossam Hassan with the famous media figure received great interaction, a comment said: “There are still the rest of the players, each with his wife, with Mona El-Shazly, and still Esaad Younes and a big story,” referring to expected continued media appearances.

Meanwhile, one user condemned the excessive media presence of the players by asking: “Is there any hope that I can enter social media and not find the players, their families, and their programs, and find something useful?”

The tribute to the Egyptian national team for its World Cup achievement turned into material for criticism and mockery (Egyptian Football Association)

But sports critic Ayman Horeidy disagrees with these criticisms, telling Asharq Al-Awsat: “The Egyptian national team deserves the tribute for its performance in the World Cup. The tribute is important to boost the morale of the players before upcoming international engagements, and to affirm the return of confidence in the team, which now possesses distinguished elements from which we expect to return Egypt to the podium at the continental level, in addition to writing a new history in the next World Cup.”

He added: “I believe the tribute proved that the Egyptian public was eager for the Pharaohs to return to strong performance. Moreover, celebrating the team in itself carries a message to the players and places a great responsibility on them in the coming period, as they are required to deliver stronger performances and results that make everyone happy.”

In contrast, sports critic Mustafa Saber believes the problem is not in the celebration, but in the exaggeration and its transformation into a feeling of complacency or ignoring mistakes that still need improvement. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Celebrating the team is natural after a historic achievement, and fans have the right to celebrate their team. This support gives players a huge morale boost, but at the same time, objective technical criticism must continue so that the team can sustain its successes.”

Regarding the media appearances of the players, he explains: “The team achieved an exceptional achievement, and it is natural that there is media interest in it. But at the same time, these appearances must be organized and thoughtful so as not to distract the players, and regulated to serve the team’s interest. The priority in the next phase should be preparing for what’s coming, with calculated media communication that maintains the fans’ connection to the team without excess.”