Egypt squad camp erupts over Mohamed Salah: serious accusations and a complaint to the public prosecutor
Egypt had barely caught their breath after kicking off their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign before a fresh controversy erupted. Media reports spoke of tension within the Pharaohs' ranks, prompting the national team's officials to deny the claims and insist there was no crisis between the technical staff and the players.
The Pharaohs opened their qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Angola, then regained their balance with a thumping 5-0 win over South Sudan. They wrap up the camp with a friendly against South Africa tomorrow, Sunday, at Cairo International Stadium.
Egyptian journalist Ahmed Abdel Basset lifted the lid on the mood inside the camp during his appearance on "El Kora Ma3 Fayek" on MBC Masr 2.
Abdel Basset suggested that Khaled El-Darandaly, a member of the Football Association's board of directors and head of the national team's delegation in South Sudan, could take action against team manager Ibrahim Hassan if a report is submitted detailing what happened during his spell leading the delegation. The matter, he explained, could even reach the point of dismissal.
Anger was brewing among several players towards head coach Hossam Hassan, he claimed, over what he described as verbal transgressions against the players during the Angola match, specifically on the substitutes' bench after Mohamed Salah left the pitch.
Ibrahim Hassan, he added, directed offensive remarks at some of the players after the match. According to his account, that sparked anger within the squad before Hossam Hassan stepped in to contain the situation, apologise and calm things down.
Salah, Abdel Basset also claimed, left the national team's camp furious, and the whole episode left bad blood among the squad.
By the same account, the details reached El-Darandaly, with the suggestion that some players could sit out the next camp if the tension continues.
Abdel Basset named Salah, Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Abdelmonem among the players who may not report for the next camp, alongside others, if the crisis is not resolved.
Egypt deny the abuse and the row with Salah
Egypt's media officer Mohamed Mourad was quick to deny the claims of abuse or rows within the squad.
Mourad confirmed, in statements sent to journalists, that Ibrahim Hassan did not insult or abuse any player during the Angola match or after it.
He also dismissed talk of a row between Hossam Hassan and Salah, insisting the footage of the head coach and his captain on the substitutes' bench showed no bust-up between them.
The technical staff, he explained, held no meeting with the players after the match. The staff were in a small room at Cairo Stadium while the players were inside the dressing room.
Everyone then headed to the hotel, he added, where Hossam Hassan met the players at the dining table and was keen to support them and lift their morale.
There was no collective anger, Mourad stressed, and no agreement between groups of players to boycott the next camp.
Ibrahim Hassan escalates: a report to the public prosecutor
The fallout did not stop at denials. Ibrahim Hassan, Egypt's manager, announced he was taking legal action against "El Kora Ma3 Fayek" over the claims about what went on inside the Pharaohs' camp.
Ibrahim Hassan told the website "Yalla Kora": "I will submit a report to the public prosecutor against the programme El Kora Ma3 Fayek, and the lawyer has already begun taking the procedures."
What started as whispers about the mood in Egypt's camp has become a public crisis. One account speaks of tension and anger in the squad, an official response denies it all, and the legal procedures and official reports are now expected to reveal what really happened.
