Hassan Shehata says Mohamed Salah played a role in Hassan’s Egypt departure

Former Egypt manager Hassan Shehata has claimed Mohamed Salah was involved in the departure of former national team boss Hossam Hassan, while criticising Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abu Rida for travelling to meet the Liverpool forward.

Speaking on the Al Laib programme on MBC Masr, Shehata said Salah “caused Hossam Hassan’s departure”, adding that this was “known to everyone”.

His comments have reopened debate about Salah’s influence within the Egypt squad, as well as the federation’s handling of tensions between the captain and the coaching staff.

Shehata compared Hassan’s decision to substitute Salah against Angola with an incident involving Ahmed Hossam Mido during the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations. He acknowledged that the circumstances were different, but said both episodes reflected the reaction to decisions made by the coaching team.

The former manager also described the intensity that can exist inside a dressing room. He recalled Egypt’s Confederations Cup match against Brazil in 2009, saying he strongly reprimanded his players at half-time.

His example was intended to show that confrontations between managers and players can form part of the coaching process and do not necessarily indicate a personal dispute.

Shehata said Salah’s status should not place him above decisions made by the manager, describing him as “one player among 11 on the pitch”. He added that the coach was responsible for managing the match and making substitutions, while the authority to assess the coach belonged to the organisation overseeing the national team, in accordance with its regulations and responsibilities.

Shehata also insisted that Hassan had not done anything that justified his dismissal. At the same time, he said Hassan’s personal problems had played a major part in the decision to end his tenure.

The former Egypt boss criticised Abu Rida’s decision to travel to Turkey to meet Salah, saying the move was inappropriate. He argued that the head of the football association should not travel to a player in an attempt to appease or reconcile with him.

“I would have refused to do this if I had been asked, regardless of the player’s name or reputation,” Shehata said.

He added that a senior official should not be placed in a position where it appeared the federation was seeking to satisfy a player, rather than resolving the matter through the appropriate administrative and technical channels.

The comments came after the Egyptian Football Association announced on 7 November that Hassan’s time in charge had ended and appointed Ali Maher as his successor.

The controversy intensified after Salah was substituted against Angola and then missed Egypt’s match against South Sudan. The federation has denied that Salah played any part in Hassan’s dismissal.