{
  "id": 10600691,
  "title": "Salah walks, Hassan talks - and Egypt have a problem",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/salah-walks-hassan-talks-and-egypt-have-a-problem",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T03:38:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/09/29/salah-walks-hassan-talks-and-egypt-have-a-problem/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan attempted to quell recent controversy surrounding his statements and decisions ahead of the Pharaohs' Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan. Just two months after his hero's welcome following Egypt's historic World Cup run, Hassan faced a media storm due to ill-advised comments and a disappointing 0-0 performance against Angola. One of the most controversial comments came during a pre-match press conference for the Angola game, where Hassan implied that goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy's career was \"finished\" before he returned to his level through the national team. This sparked outrage among fans, pundits, and even his own players. Additionally, Hassan faced criticism for his views on the Egyptian Premier League, stating that no team in the league had a good technical level, and that his primary concern was the physical conditioning of the players. The situation escalated when Egypt was held to a goalless draw against Angola, and Salah was inexplicably substituted in the 60th minute. Following Salah's departure, the EFA released a statement claiming the decision was prearranged due to concerns about an artificial pitch in South Sudan, but football insiders suggested otherwise. The crisis surrounding Hassan's comments and actions has dominated Egypt's news cycle, with many describing it as a \"crisis.\"",
  "summary": "Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan went into full damage control mode on Monday while talking to reporters ahead of the Pharaohs’ Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan. Hassan walked back many of the statements that landed him in hot water with fans, pundits, and even his own players over the past week. Just two months after he was given a hero’s welcome alongside the Egyptian squad…",
  "key_points": [
    "Hossam Hassan faced media storm over controversial comments and poor performance.",
    "Mohamed El Shenawy's career was deemed finished by Hassan before return to national team.",
    "Egypt vs South Sudan qualifier ended 0-0, Salah substituted in 60th minute."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The controversy surrounding Hassan's comments and team decisions has eroded the goodwill generated by Egypt's World Cup run, posing a problem for the team's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Salah walks, Hassan talks - and Egypt have a problem",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/salah-walks-hassan-talks-and-egypt-have-a-problem-10601137",
        "published": "2026-09-29T03:38:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}