Egyptian football faces tough challenges ahead, says Hossam Hassan

The Egyptian national football team is gearing up for an international training camp in preparation for the upcoming matches against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau in the World Cup qualifiers. The team is scheduled to face Burkina Faso on June 8th and Guinea-Bissau three days later.

During a press conference, Hossam Hassan remarked, “It is the right of the media, public opinion, and the Egyptian people to know what we are doing to achieve their aspirations in the tournaments in which the national team participates. We want to clarify everything before the start of the upcoming Egyptian national team camp.”

“We made very good use of the Capital International Friendly Tournament, where we laid the foundation for the relationship within the national team and with the players.

We identified both the positives and negatives, with the only negative being the loss to Croatia, the third-ranked team globally, which is normal. The most important thing is the return of the fans to support the Egyptian national team,” he added.

Hossam Hassan continued, “The presence of the fans at the Egypt Stadium in the New Administrative Capital should have been maximized as it demonstrates that the fans want an atmosphere and motivation to support the Egyptian national team.”

Regarding leaked statements allegedly attributed to him, Hossam Hassan clarified, “This is not my style of work, and I want to make it clear to everyone that we are preparing for the 2026 World Cup.

There are very negative messages coming from technical analysts, making it seem easy to qualify for the World Cup. I don’t understand how they speak while we are actually struggling in football.”

“Our recent results in various tournaments indicate our struggles. I want to emphasize that the landscape of African football has changed, and the teams that some people mock have defeated big teams in the recent African Cup of Nations.

I am extremely cautious about shaping public opinion that we have qualified for the World Cup,” he emphasized.

He further added, “Egypt, for me, is above any red line. I deal within my field to defend it, and I hope to raise awareness among the public, not to deceive them.”

Hossam Hassan stressed the challenges facing Egyptian football, stating, “Egyptian football is currently facing its toughest phase due to its decline against the rise of other competitors.”

In response to concerns about the timing of the training camp, Hossam Hassan said, “We need early preparation, and if the assembly is based on the agenda, we will not achieve anything.”

He concluded by expressing his hope for full cooperation from Egypt concerning the national team’s concerns.

Hossam Hassan had agreed with the Egyptian Football Association to start the training camp after Al Ahly played the return leg of the CAF Champions League final against Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis.

However, Al Ahly refused the request, citing the lack of regulations supporting it and the illogicality of playing professional players without local players.