Egypt considered five coaches before appointing Ali Maher, says FA board member

Egypt’s Football Association considered five candidates for the national team manager’s position before appointing Ali Maher, according to board member Mostafa Abu Zahra, who also explained why the new coach was not presented at a news conference.

Maher has taken charge of Egypt ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying double-header against Malawi, replacing Hossam Hassan.

“Hossam Hassan is one of the legends of Egyptian football. We shared many periods of pride and happiness with him, and I thank him and his technical staff for everything they gave,” Abu Zahra told CBC.

“He represents his country and his work, and I was pleased to work with him.”

Abu Zahra said the players understood their responsibilities, with captain Mohamed Salah among those helping to lead the squad.

“The players feel responsible, from Mohamed Salah to the youngest player. We have a generation of professionals playing at the highest level,” he added.

“Salah played a major role with Hossam, as did the national team’s leaders, because nobody succeeds alone.”

He also said Salah had been expected to join Hassan’s squad for the current international break and denied that the Liverpool forward had criticised Hassan during a meeting between Salah and FA president Hany Abo Rida in Turkey.

“Mohamed Salah was going to join Egypt’s camp with Hossam Hassan during the current international break,” Abu Zahra said.

“Mohamed Salah did not say anything negative about Hossam Hassan to Hany Abo Rida during the latter’s visit to Turkey.”

Explaining Hassan’s departure, Abu Zahra said: “The Football Association believed that certain public opinions would affect the national team, so we decided to take the appropriate decision.”

Maher contract still being finalised

Abu Zahra confirmed that all five managers considered for the role were Egyptian and that Shوقي غريب was never discussed as a temporary option for the Malawi matches.

“There were five coaches nominated to manage Egypt. They were all Egyptian and there was no foreign coach among them,” he said. “We never considered Shوقي غريب taking charge temporarily against Malawi.”

Hossam Hassan and his brother Ibrahim, who was part of the coaching set-up, are entitled to compensation under their contracts.

“They have a three-month termination clause in their contracts and will receive their rights,” Abu Zahra said.

Contracts for Maher are being prepared by FA vice-president Khaled El-Direndaly and board member Tarek Abu El-Enein. A clause requiring qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations will be included, allowing his contract to be extended through to the World Cup.

However, the two sides have not yet agreed Maher’s salary. That issue will be addressed after the matches against Malawi.

Maher will also decide who replaces Bassem Ali and will select his entire coaching staff. Should he choose to bring back Mohamed Abdel Wahed, Abu Zahra said he would join him.

The absence of a presentation news conference was due only to a lack of time, Abu Zahra added. Maher will hold two news conferences before the Malawi games, with further media briefings to be arranged if needed.

Egypt play Malawi on 13 and 17 November in the third and fourth rounds of qualifying. Egypt lead Group B on four points, ahead of Angola on goal difference. Malawi are third with three points, while South Sudan have no points. Egypt drew 0-0 with Angola in Cairo before beating South Sudan 5-0 away.