Egypt's national team has not experienced a training camp as heated since Hossam Hassan took charge of the Pharaohs, like the one currently underway, which has witnessed numerous events that may not recur in the future in such quick succession.
The Egypt national team's training camp began on September 17 at the National Teams Center in 6th of October City, after the Pharaohs' technical staff announced their squad list the day before the gathering.
Egypt national team camp.. What happened?
El-Shenawy is the first crisis
The crisis began after the Egypt national team's technical staff announced the squad, which saw the absence of Mohamed El-Shenawy. Al-Ahly revealed he had suffered an injury the previous day, yet the team manager, Ibrahim Hassan, did not include the Red Devils' goalkeeper among the injured players.
Ibrahim Hassan ignored mentioning Mohamed El-Shenawy's name among the players prevented by injury from joining the national team camp, giving the impression that the goalkeeper was out of the Pharaohs' plans.
Calm gradually returned until September 24, when Hossam Hassan angrily lashed out at Mohamed El-Shenawy, stating that the goalkeeper was "finished," according to his description, while continuing to question the injury announced by Al-Ahly before the national team revealed its squad.
Hossam Hassan said: "Mohamed El-Shenawy was 'finished' and never played for his club during certain periods, yet he regained his form through our training sessions.. He returned to his level 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 choices, 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."
Football Association responds to Hossam Hassan
Hany Abo Rida, president of the Football Association, chose to ease tensions, making several statements despite his rare appearances, saying: "Mohamed El-Shenawy is one of the loyal sons of Egyptian football, who has provided and continues to provide a career rich with dedication and achievements with the Egyptian national team and Al-Ahly Club."
He added: "El-Shenawy's history and status as a player and captain are highly appreciated and respected by the Egyptian Football Association, and we take pride in everything he offers to Egyptian football."
Al-Ahly gets angry defending its goalkeeper
Al-Ahly waited until the end of Egypt's match against Angola to issue a statement defending Mohamed El-Shenawy, criticizing head coach Hossam Hassan, whose remarks were described as "irresponsible."
Al-Ahly deliberately avoided naming Hossam Hassan in its statement, settling for the phrase "the head coach of the Egyptian national team," confirming that it awaits the Football Association's stance regarding what it described as "transgressions that should not come from the national team's head coach."
Al-Ahly's statement came as follows:
"In prioritizing the interest of the national team, as is Al-Ahly Club's custom in all situations—which have often forced us to compete in major tournaments, foremost among them the FIFA Club World Cup, without our international players—the club preferred to remain silent regarding the irresponsible statements of the national team's head coach until our match against Angola concluded."
"This was out of concern for the public interest, which the national team coach disregarded completely, and transgressed in an unacceptable manner, both in form and substance, against one of our players and any player representing the club. Attacking their artistic and moral value is not permissible, let alone against Al-Ahly and Egypt's captain, 'Mohamed El-Shenawy'?! Furthermore, the head coach's talk about including our player Emam Ashour before the Africa Cup of Nations to prepare him reflects a lack of understanding of responsibility boundaries, and is contrary to practices worldwide."
"Our club always prepares its players for the national teams and takes pride in being their biggest supporter. The head coach has the right to include or exclude any player, but he does not have the right to overstep with such statements that undermine the relationship of mutual respect between elements of the football system."
"As for the national team head coach's opinion that Egyptian clubs do not play good football, this diminishes the status of the clubs and the football competitions organized by the Egyptian Football Association and the Professional Leagues Union. However, he should not have included Al-Ahly team within his limited vision."
"In conclusion, while the club expresses its severe dissatisfaction with these statements, it did not overlook appreciating the words of the Egyptian Football Association president regarding El-Shenawy's value, and awaits the Football Association's stance on these transgressions that should not emanate from the national team's head coach."
Clash with Mohamed Salah
Hossam Hassan substituted Mohamed Salah in the 60th minute of the match against Angola, causing the Trabzonspor star to sit on the bench next to him.
The crisis emerged in the team's dressing room, as Yallakora learned that things did not go smoothly, with the national team coach exploding at the players following the draw with Angola.
Hossam Hassan blamed some players for certain incidents during the match, including Mohamed Salah. The latter decided to avoid conflicts with the technical staff, prioritizing the team's interest, and contacted Hany Abo Rida, the Football Association president, to request rest for the South Sudan match.
Mohamed Abdelmonem joins Mohamed Salah
French club Nice sent a medical recommendation to rest Mohamed Abdelmonem and not play him in the South Sudan match, due to the game being held on an artificial turf pitch ("tartan").
The technical staff proceeded to rest Mohamed Abdelmonem and Mohamed Salah, traveling to South Sudan without the duo. This caused Hossam Hassan's view of the Nice defender to change, having insisted on taking him along on many occasions despite his injury.
Temporary truce with El-Shenawy and Salah
Following the Angola match, the Egypt national team delegation departed for South Sudan. Before the encounter, Hossam Hassan stated that his comments regarding El-Shenawy were misunderstood, affirming his good relationship with Mohamed Salah.
Hossam Hassan affirmed: "My talk about Mohamed El-Shenawy's statements was misinterpreted. I respect everyone and said that El-Shenawy was injured in the shoulder at the time; I did not mean to belittle 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."
He added: "They are all my brothers and sons. El-Shenawy is among the players who were loyal to the national team, and we trust him and all goalkeepers. He is one of the players who performed exceptionally well, and his absence for technical reasons does not diminish him in the slightest."
Hossam Hassan addressed the matter of resting Salah, saying: "Mohamed Salah asked me before the camp not to play the match due to the artificial grass, out of concern for his safety and based on a medical recommendation."
He added: "We wished for his presence in the match, but he will be present in the upcoming friendly match."
Salah out of South Africa friendly
Despite Hossam Hassan's confirmation that Mohamed Salah would participate in the friendly against South Africa, the player remained absent from the Egypt national team camp, indicating the Trabzonspor star's absence from the match.
A source confirmed in exclusive statements to Yallakora earlier that Mohamed Salah would not participate in the South Africa friendly, which seems likely given the lack of any official clarification.
Verbal abuse, complaint, and clash
Sports critic Ahmed Abdel Basit said during the program "Al-Kora Ma'a Fayek" broadcast on "MBC Masr 2": "If Khaled El-Darndeli submits his report to the Football Association detailing everything that happened in this camp, Ibrahim Hassan will be dismissed."
He added: "Starting with the statements made before the Angola match, there were warnings that remarks should be disciplined. Also, Mohamed Salah and the players are angry because of the insults directed at them on the bench five minutes after Salah's substitution in the Angola match by Ibrahim Hassan, and accusations were made against the players regarding dishonesty in attendance concerning the players and Salah."
He clarified: "Hossam Hassan apologized afterwards, saying: 'I don't know how I did that, and I didn't mean it.' But the words directed at the players caused anger among all of them. Khaled El-Darndeli learned what happened, but he wanted the camp to pass peacefully."
The aforementioned statements angered Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan, leading to a decision to file a complaint with the Public Prosecutor against the program "Al-Kora Ma'a Fayek."
Ibrahim Hassan told Yallakora: "I will file a complaint with the Public Prosecutor against the program 'Al-Kora Ma'a Fayek,' and the lawyer has already begun taking procedures."
The pace of events remains unprecedentedly escalating during the current Egypt national team camp, amid uncertainty about what new crises the coming days may hold.
