Hossam Hassan says Egypt squad decisions are not influenced by club colours

Hossam Hassan says club colours and players’ ages do not influence his selections for the Egypt national team.

The Egypt manager made the comments during a meeting organised by the Egyptian Football Association with the national team’s coaching staff and players from the country’s various age-group sides.

Hassan defended the value of appointing Egyptian coaches, saying: “Why should I sign a foreign coach when we have very good Egyptian coaches?”

He added: “The foreign coach comes wanting to find everything perfect, so he cannot deal with different circumstances. The national coach, however, can deal with all situations.”

Hassan said he selected players solely on merit, regardless of which club they represented.

“I do not look at the colour of any club’s shirt when choosing players for the Egypt national team, and I do not look at age either,” he said. “If I have wronged any player, it is – honestly, against my will.”

He also highlighted the progress made by Hamza Abdelkarim after being called up to the national side.

“Hamza Abdelkarim benefited from being with Egypt, and if I had not been convinced by him, I would not have selected him,” Hassan said. “Every player in the national team benefited from being at the World Cup.”

The manager said Mohamed Salah’s experience at the tournament had also been useful, including his deployment in different attacking roles.

“Mohamed Salah benefited from the World Cup by playing as a playmaker or as a centre-forward,” he said. “Every player who extended his contract after the World Cup did so because of the Egypt national team.”

Hassan warned his coaching staff that expectations would be higher after the team’s recent achievements.

“I told the technical staff that what is coming will be difficult because of what we have achieved, and everyone expects the Egypt national team to appear in a better shape,” he said.

He also praised the team’s impact on supporters, saying Egypt had restored their confidence and enthusiasm.

“The Egypt national team managed to put smiles back on the faces of the Egyptian fans, who returned to rally around it after the spirit, performances and impressive results we have achieved recently,” Hassan said.

Hassan led Egypt to the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.