Egypt part company with Hossam Hassan after series of disputes

Hossam Hassan’s time as Egypt manager has ended after a succession of controversies involving the coach and his brother, Ibrahim Hassan, the national team director, from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco through to the 2026 World Cup.

The Egyptian Football Association announced on Saturday that it had dismissed Hossam and his coaching staff, despite extending his contract until 2030 in September. Ali Maher has been appointed as the new manager.

The association said the decision followed a review of “the events and circumstances of the recent period, which negatively affected the positive image and stability of the national team”.

Tensions first emerged during the Africa Cup of Nations, when Hossam criticised the match schedule and said Egypt had not been given enough recovery time. He also argued that travelling from Agadir to Tangier had affected the players’ preparation, while Senegal had been granted an additional day of rest before the semi-final.

Ibrahim Hassan subsequently escalated the criticism, questioning the suitability of Egypt’s accommodation in Tangier. He described it as closer to a “boarding house” than an appropriate hotel for a tournament of the Africa Cup’s stature.

He also objected to Egypt having to travel to Casablanca for the third-place play-off against Nigeria.

Hossam later became involved in a verbal dispute with Moroccan journalists after questions about his performance and comments on the tournament’s organisation. He considered one question disrespectful and lacking in courtesy.

World Cup incidents

The controversies continued during the 2026 World Cup in the United States, when video emerged of Ibrahim Hassan having a heated discussion with a Dallas police officer at the team hotel.

The incident turned into a physical confrontation after a disagreement over an attempt by someone to approach one of the players for a photograph. Police later said the matter had been resolved, while Hossam said the issue was over and that the team had accepted an apology from the police.

Following Egypt’s 3-2 defeat by Argentina in the last 16, Hossam also launched a criticism of the refereeing. He objected to a goal by Mostafa Ziko being disallowed and to a penalty not being awarded in the final minutes.

The manager went further by questioning the integrity of the decisions, suggesting FIFA wanted Argentina and Lionel Messi to remain in the tournament.

Disputes involving Salah and Al Ahly

In September, the substitution of Mohamed Salah during Egypt’s match against Angola in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying prompted debate about the player’s relationship with Hossam. Salah, the national team captain, was then absent from the following game.

Hossam also became involved in a public dispute with Al Ahly after saying goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy had been “finished” at an earlier stage of his career. The club issued an official statement objecting to the remarks, saying they amounted to an overstep against the goalkeeper.

In recent months, personal disputes involving Hossam Hassan’s two wives also entered the media. Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation intervened, asking the football association in September to address the consequences and taking steps to prevent details of the family disagreements being published.

On 4 November, the council then banned Hossam Hassan himself from appearing in the media.