Hani Abu Rida, president of the Football Association, revealed the secret behind the tension in his relationship with Hossam Hassan, the technical director of the Egyptian national team.
Abu Rida said in statements to Al-Nahar channel: "Hossam Hassan was angry with me at the beginning of my work, and I did not know the reason, and after we worked together he told me the real reason (I was upset because I wanted to work with you a long time ago)."
He continued, "I succeeded in bringing out a new version of Hossam Hassan; he has become calmer, and he understands, listens, and discusses. Hossam Hassan is not a dictator, but he is a good listener."
Regarding the renewal of his contract, he explained, "I made the decision to renew Hossam Hassan's contract before the match against Argentina, but every contract has secret clauses in the agreement, and a meeting will be held with him to agree on them."
The Football Association announced in a statement the formation of a committee to renew Hossam Hassan's contract.
He also spoke about the reason for appearing better than the 2018 version in Russia: "We participated in the 2018 World Cup after an absence of 28 years, and therefore there was a significant lack of experience."
He added, "We did not have enough time to prepare the national team for the 2018 World Cup, unlike what was available to us in 2026, for which we made all arrangements six months before the World Cup, and there was proper preparation before participation."
He continued his talk about Hossam Hassan: "If Hossam Hassan was only about enthusiasm, I would have hired a singer. Everything was arranged in Hossam Hassan's responses before the press conferences; there was trust between us and calm in the camp."
Regarding the federation's strategy for developing football, he explained, "There is a strategy we are working on according to the directives of the political leadership, and we asked the Minister of Sports to establish training centers in all governorates of Egypt."
He added, "We have submitted our requests to the state to implement the project and provide the fields. As for the technical part, we can implement it, and the player must play 70 matches at the youth and junior levels before reaching the first division."
He continued, "We follow all our Egyptian boys abroad to be a great addition to us in the future."
He also defended Hossam Hassan's raising of the Palestinian flag during the World Cup: "Hossam Hassan's raising of the Palestinian flag was spontaneous, and there are expected sanctions from FIFA."
He spoke about his relationship with Mahmoud El-Khatib, president of Al-Ahly: "El-Khatib is a lifelong friend, brothers; football is one thing and the personal relationship is another."
He concluded his role in FIFA has no connection to his position in Egypt, and Egypt's interest comes first and last."
