Video: Why are you laughing? Al-Ahly coach at the centre of a fiery clash after Sundowns shock

The Dutch coach sparks controversy

Al Ahly's shock against South Africa's Sundowns didn't end with the final whistle. The controversy moved from the pitch to the press conference room, and its protagonist was coach Marino Pusic, who got into a heated exchange with a journalist over a question about his in-game decisions.

Al Ahly lost 2-1 away to Sundowns on Saturday evening, in a Continental Cup clash between the two sides.

Read also.. Saudi Arabia legend: The Al Ahly coach must be dismissed after the Sundowns shock!

It began when the journalist asked Pusic about Saleh Abu Al-Shamat, suggesting the player should have been given a chance before the final minutes. Pusic hit back sharply: "It seems you are a fan of one of the players, and you are right, but your question is illogical, we were good today."

He didn't leave it there. Noticing the journalist's smile during the discussion, Pusic returned to the reaction, and the exchange left the usual framework of a press conference behind, turning into a direct confrontation in front of the assembled media.

"Why are you laughing? Are you laughing at your team?" the Al Ahly coach fired at the journalist. The question landed just minutes after a 2-1 defeat that cost them the title.

His sharpness in the conference flowed straight from the row over his decisions during the match. Abu Al-Shamat appeared for only the last two minutes, and the player made his own feelings clear after the final whistle, storming off the pitch and pulling off his Al Ahly shirt in a moment that sparked wide interaction.

Defeat, a substitution row, and then a press room to match. A question about a player who featured for only a few minutes became an altercation, and its headline was Pusic's own words: "Why are you laughing?".