Mido is out of Friday's final against Ivory Coast

Talking on an Egyptian television channel a day after the incident he apologized to the public and the coach.

"I want to apologize to all the fans and to my coach and I hope that nobody is still upset with me," he said

"I just wanted to play and be part of this great accomplishment. Yes I made a mistake and I accept the punishment."

Mido's reaction to being substituted against Senegal has seen him thrown out of the squad and told he will not be picked for six months by Egypt.

On Wednesday talking to BBC Radio Five Live he said: "The thing is I haven't insulted the manager.

"I said why, why are you always changing me? He's not that professional that he came to argue with me."

Mido's replacement Amr Zaki went on to score the winner against Senegal and book Egypt's spot in Friday's final against Ivory Coast.

Asked if he was sorry for his actions, Mido added: "I feel sorry for the fans, all the Egyptian people because they wanted me to play the final.

"I wanted to play the final because I wanted to win the tournament and I wanted to share the moment with my team-mates.

We've made a problem for ourselves and I'm not happy with this decision Hossam Hassan

"A lot of people will feel sorry for what has happened and I do as well as it's really disappointing."

Mido, who believes his punishment was an overreaction, did not rule out playing under Shehata again but insists he will now concentrate on trying to help club side Tottenham to qualify for Europe.

"All I'm thinking about now is that I want to forget about what happened here," he added.

"I want to come back to London and train with my Tottenham team-mates. I want to score goals and win games with Spurs and qualify for Europe."

The decision of Egypt's football authorities has not received the support of key players who believe he has been treated harshly.

"My own feeling is that the decision was out of proportion. We needed Mido in this game," said striker Hossam Hassan, who had to restrain Mido during the altercation with Shehata.

"I have known him since we were kids, he's just eager to play.

"He tried to apologise for what happened but the FA people made the problem bigger. Mido is not the only one to lose out - it's the whole team, the fans and the Egyptian Football Association.

"People might think I'm wrong but I've seen that happen with other big players who got upset.

I think Mido was wrong in what he did. But Mido is still young and he is not experienced Defender Wael Gomaa

"We've made a problem for ourselves and I'm not happy with this decision," said 39-year-old Hassan, Africa's most capped international player.

Mohamed Barakat, the reigning BBC African Footballer of the Year, shared Hassan's feelings.

"The fact that he is not here is making us weaker. But we have to accept that Mido is not going to be here.

"We have to be self-sufficient and any player who replaces him has to do the business.

"We are all frustrated by this, we need Mido because he can play anywhere on the pitch.

"We have Hossam Hassan, Emad Moteab and Amr Zaki and if Allah wills it we will win the Nations Cup, whether Mido is here or not."

Giving an insight into events behind the scenes, Barakat added: "Mido said 'I want to stay with the squad to the end - don't exclude me, even if I made a mistake.'

"It was a nice thing for him to have said. For me, what happened yesterday was out of jealousy and love.

"Even if he was a bit out of line, it was just a clarification between him and the coach."

Although defender Wael Gomaa admitted that Mido's outburst was unacceptable, he felt it was Mido's passion for the team that was responsible for his bad behaviour.

"I think Mido was wrong in what he did. But Mido is still young and he is not experienced.

"He wants to be on the field and wants to score goals but his behaviour is not good."

Gomaa said the Egyptians were fortunate to overcome the conflict and beat Senegal in what was a keenly contested encounter.

"In my mind I thought we will lose after something like this. But thank God for the win. It was a very difficult moment but that's football."