Ibrahim Hassan, the Egyptian team manager, sent an apology message to the Egyptian fans after being eliminated from the World Cup round of 16 by Argentina.

The Egyptian national team received an official and public welcome upon arriving home on Friday morning.

Ibrahim Hassan said in statements to On Sport channel: 'I thank the fans for the great support we received during the tournament matches; we always felt their confidence in our abilities.'

He added: 'The Egyptian team deserved more than what was achieved, but unfortunately we faced circumstances beyond our control, despite not falling short.'

He continued: 'We were leading Argentina 2-0 and were capable of continuing the journey, were it not for the blatant refereeing errors that everyone witnessed, which revealed the truth to the world, after we were unfairly eliminated.'

Ibrahim Hassan noted: 'During our departure, we found many people apologizing to us for what happened, and affirming their support. Never before has a team received this amount of global sympathy, and left the tournament in such an honorable manner.'

He pointed out: 'I would also like to thank Egyptians living abroad, both adults and children, as football and sports in general play an important role in instilling a sense of belonging to Egypt among the children of Egyptians abroad.'

He concluded: 'Our message to the Egyptian players in the World Cup was always not to stop at this stage, and to continue working with confidence in what they offer. The coaching staff also made a tremendous effort, and Hossam Hassan worked on all the fine details and studied the opponents continuously; everyone strived to the utmost degree.'