Ibrahim Hassan, the director of Egypt's national team, revealed the behind-the-scenes preparations of the technical staff led by Hossam Hassan for facing Argentina in the World Cup, as he also clarified the reason for the altercation that gathered him with the Argentine star Lionel Messi.
Egypt's national team succeeded in qualifying to the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup, for the first time in the Pharaohs' history.
The team also succeeded in achieving many historical records in that tournament, most notably achieving the first win in the World Cup, as well as qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time.
Ibrahim Hassan's statements
Ibrahim Hassan said, in statements via "ON Sport" channel: "Hossam and I preserve each other, and we know how to complement each other and make the camp successful from the technical and administrative aspects and at the level of discipline, and managing your country's national team is a great thing and a great honor, and that's why we work for the sake of our country and to please the people".
He added: "Hossam is a great coach and a great player, and we are twins and always want to present the best thing, and Hossam has a great passion for success, and he memorizes the players every spot on the pitch as if we are in an exam, and he works with every player on the opponent he will face, and he lives the situation with the team we will play against".
He continued: "Before the match against Argentina, he was saying that player number 10 is not Messi, in order to make the players feel that he is an ordinary player like all players, and that's why I said in the press conference that it doesn't matter to us whether he is a starter or a substitute".
Regarding the altercation that occurred between him and Lionel Messi during the match, Ibrahim Hassan said: "Messi is a provocative player, and he was deliberately provoking us on the pitch, and this was the reason for the quarrel between us and with Saafan Al-Sagheer as well".
