The atmosphere was not calm at the Egyptian national team camp, which began on September 17th, but statements by Hossam Hassan, the Pharaohs' head coach, stirred the stagnant waters and ignited a crisis that was not easy to extinguish.
Although the apparent start of the crisis came hours before Egypt's match against Angola with Hossam Hassan's remarks, the dispute between Hossam Hassan and Mohamed El-Shenawy had flared up during the 2026 World Cup competition.
When did the crisis between Hossam Hassan and El-Shenawy begin?
Mohamed El-Shenawy's inclusion in the Egyptian national team squad for the World Cup finals had a positive impact on the goalkeeper, who aspired to make history by participating in the tournament for the second time.
Before the start of the World Cup matches, the Egyptian national team's technical staff agreed with Mohamed El-Shenawy that the goalkeeper would play in the match against Iran in the third round of the group stage, provided the Pharaohs secured qualification for the Round of 16 of the World Cup.
During the tactical briefing preceding the Iran match, Hossam Hassan included Mostafa Shobier in his starting lineup choices, and Mohamed El-Shenawy showed no reaction to this decision.
Mohamed El-Shenawy asked an administrative staff member to inform Ibrahim Hassan, the Egypt team manager, that he felt upset and did not wish to remain on the bench for the match against Iran.
Mohamed El-Shenawy spoke to Ibrahim Hassan, telling him that he had not received the promised agreement made beforehand. The team manager then asked the Al-Ahly goalkeeper to wait for a few minutes, which stretched into 20 minutes.
Hossam Hassan held a meeting with Mohamed El-Shenawy and Mostafa Shobier, attended by Ibrahim Hassan.
Hossam Hassan spoke to Mostafa Shobier, informing him that he had promised El-Shenawy the role of starting goalkeeper in the match. The 26-year-old goalkeeper did not object to this. Then, Walid Badr joined them to inform the Pharaohs' coach that he had already submitted the lineup for approval, and any change would be counted as a substitution.
It seems that Mohamed El-Shenawy was neither pleased nor convinced by what transpired during that meeting.
Mostafa Shobier remained the starting goalkeeper for Egypt during the matches against Australia and Argentina, until the end of the Pharaohs' journey in the 2026 World Cup.
Hours before Hossam Hassan announced the Egyptian national team squad, Al-Ahly club revealed Mohamed El-Shenawy's injury, which the head coach considered an evasion by the goalkeeper from joining the Pharaohs' ranks.
Hossam Hassan's Outburst
Hossam Hassan, the Egypt national team coach, directed sharp criticism at Mohamed El-Shenawy, Al-Ahly's goalkeeper, describing the Pharaohs' head coach the goalkeeper as "finished."
Hossam Hassan implicitly questioned Mohamed El-Shenawy's injury, which Al-Ahly club had announced hours before revealing the Pharaohs' squad for the September camp.
Hossam Hassan said: "At one point, Mohamed El-Shenawy was 'finished' and never played for his club, yet he returned to his level through training with us... He regained his form through the Egyptian national team... Not just him, but other players as well."
He added: "The decision to exclude Mohamed El-Shenawy was based on our selections, regardless of his injury... I could have 'taken it easy' and said he was injured, but these are our choices even if he wasn't injured."
Al-Ahly Refuses Silence
Al-Ahly refused to stay silent and did not let the matter pass unnoticed, issuing a statement after Egypt's goalless draw against Angola in the first round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, defending Mohamed El-Shenawy.
In its statement, Al-Ahly described Hossam Hassan's remarks—which did not mention the player's name directly—as "irresponsible," noting that what happened constituted an unacceptable overstep.
Al-Ahly confirmed that it is awaiting the Football Association's stance regarding what it described as "transgressions that should not come from the national team's head coach."
Return in Juba
Hossam Hassan chose not to escalate the crisis, stating that his comments about Mohamed El-Shenawy were misunderstood. He clarified that he holds full respect for Al-Ahly's goalkeeper and did not intend to belittle anyone.
Hossam Hassan said: "My discussion regarding Mohamed El-Shenawy's statements was misinterpreted. I respect everyone, and I said that El-Shenawy was injured in the shoulder at that time; I did not mean to diminish anyone. I meant that he had a shoulder injury, and this was in the past—it was a past tense verb, and you know grammar better than I do."
Hossam Hassan's choice to calm the situation comes in an effort to restore stability to the Egyptian national team, which has been absent since the events in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup competition.
