The former Roma man added fuel to fire after the disappointing World Cup qualifiers result at Cairo Stadium, where he had to settle for a backup role.

After vehemently denying an outrage regarding his snub, Mido declared that his compatriot was behind the saga.

"There were reports after the game that I protested against the coach's decision to keep me on the bench, which is totally untrue," Mido told FilGoal.com from England.

"I was even more shocked to learn that one of my teammates was responsible for spreading the false rumor, with the help of his agent."

Mido was reluctant to reveal the name of the player, hinting that he plies his trade abroad.

But later on he revealed that it was Zaki who spread the false allegations.

"Zaki and his agent came up with that baseless story," Mido added.

"I just want to tell him that success in Europe is not realized by playing well for a few months and scoring some goals.

"I have been in Europe for several years now and I have scored about 70 goals at the highest levels. I think that these rubbish claims do not match my standard."

Clear

Mido reiterated that he coolly received Hassan Shehata's decision not to include him in the starting line-up as he urged the Egypt boss to pronounce the truth in public.

"After the coach informed me that I will not start, I literally told him: 'I am under your command and I will do my best to help the team at any time'," the 26-year-old said.

"I am asking coach Shehata to clear my name after these ridiculous claims. The rest of my teammates were also witnesses.

"I hope we can restore harmony inside the team if we want to reach the World Cup."