Mohamed Salah sparks debate with social media post after Hossam Hassan leaves Egypt role

Mohamed Salah has sparked debate after posting a photograph in which he appears to stick out his tongue following Trabzonspor’s 2-0 victory over Alanyaspor in the Turkish league on Sunday.

Salah started the match and scored Trabzonspor’s second goal in the 34th minute. The goal took his league tally to nine, strengthening his position at the top of the Turkish league scoring charts, while he has now scored 11 times in all competitions for his new club.

The Egypt captain later shared a picture on his social media accounts showing him making a victory sign while sticking out his tongue. The image prompted a range of interpretations, with some followers linking it to recent developments within the Egypt national team and the departure of Hossam Hassan as head coach.

The post came shortly after the Egyptian Football Association announced that Hassan and his coaching staff had been relieved of their duties. Ali Maher was appointed as the new manager in a decision announced on Saturday, following a period of controversy surrounding the atmosphere within the national team and the former manager’s relationship with several players, particularly the Pharaohs’ captain.

The timing of the photograph also attracted attention because Salah has not issued a statement publicly bidding farewell to Hassan since his departure.

Tensions between the player and Hassan date back to Egypt’s most recent camp in September. Hassan substituted Salah after 60 minutes of the goalless draw against Angola in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

Hassan said the decision was based on technical reasons. Salah subsequently left the national-team camp and missed the match against South Sudan, leading to widespread questions about the relationship between the two men.

The coaching staff said Salah’s absence had been agreed with the player because the match was being played on an artificial surface. However, speculation about the future of their relationship continued in the following weeks.

Salah also missed the friendly against South Africa, prompting further questions about whether he would join the squad for the November camp. Egyptian Football Association officials then attempted to contain the situation and ease tensions between the player and the coaching staff, but Hassan’s eventual departure brought the dispute to an end.

The photograph also revived interest in a recent visit to Turkey by Hany Abu Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association. Abu Rida met Salah several days ago in an attempt to resolve the disagreement and improve relations between the player and Hassan before the November camp.