Hafid Derradji comments on Hossam Hassan's sacking and identifies the person responsible for his departure
Who is he?
Algerian sports commentator Hafid Derradji has linked Hossam Hassan's dismissal from the Egypt national team to the crises that have surrounded the coach of late, suggesting his clash with star man Mohamed Salah may have been one of the factors that hastened his exit.
In a post on his official "X" account, Derradji wrote that Hossam Hassan "is the one who brought Hossam Hassan down". The coach, he explained, paid the price for a build-up of technical, media and personal crises, as well as his clash with the most important player in the squad, a confrontation he felt never needed to become an open battle.
That row with Salah should never have been escalated the way it was, the Algerian added, pointing to the dispute between captain and technical director that cast a shadow over the national team's mood in recent weeks.
Derradji's comments followed the Egyptian Football Association's announcement on Saturday evening that it had ended the mission of Hossam Hassan and his technical and administrative staff. The decision came after a series of board meetings and was based, the EFA confirmed, on a study of recent events and their negative impact on the positive image of the national team.
The Football Association also turned to Ali Maher, the current technical director of Ceramica Cleopatra, handing him the technical leadership of the national team for the coming period and asking him to present his vision for assembling a backroom staff.
Tension had been building between Hossam Hassan and Mohamed Salah over recent weeks, with their positions and statements increasingly at odds. The crisis became a talking point among fans and followers, and it has now coincided with the technical director's departure from the Pharaohs.
