Egypt camp tensions resolved in three minutes, says Abu Zahra

Mustafa Abu Zahra says the issues surrounding Egypt’s latest international camp have been settled, insisting the Egyptian Football Association is committed to protecting the team’s stability.

The board member told On Sport: “We are confronting every attempt to undermine the stability of the Egypt national team, and the issues between Khaled El-Dirndly and the twins were resolved in three minutes.”

Abu Zahra was referring to Khaled El-Dirndly, the association’s vice-president, and Hossam Hassan and Ibrahim Hassan, who manage the national team.

He also played down comments made by Hossam Hassan during the camp, saying they should be viewed in the context of a friendly match.

“Consider what Hossam Hassan said as if it was a friendly match,” Abu Zahra added. “In friendlies, we experiment before official matches. The Egyptian people know very well who Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan are, and what distinguishes Hossam Hassan is his dedication.”

The camp was affected by several points of tension, including Hossam Hassan’s description of goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy as “finished”.

Mohamed Salah and Mohamed Abdelmonem also left the squad before the match against South Sudan to avoid playing on an artificial pitch.

A separate dispute involved Khaled El-Dirndly, who was unhappy that he had not been named as head of the national team delegation.

Abu Zahra said the team’s senior figures had helped manage the situation and praised Salah’s influence as captain.

“We have an exceptional and influential captain in Mohamed Salah, and Hany Abu Rida contained Hossam Hassan during the camps,” he said.

He also referred to Salah’s performance for Galatasaray before joining up with Egypt.

“Before the Galatasaray match, I hoped Salah would score a goal so that he could excel with the Egypt national team, but he scored a hat-trick,” Abu Zahra said. “When he arrived, he celebrated with Hossam Hassan after renewing his contract.”

Egypt drew 0-0 with Angola and beat South Sudan 5-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches during the camp. They also lost to South Africa in a friendly.

The national team’s next assignment will be against Malawi in matches three and four of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.