The Football Association have moved early to stop a rift within the Egypt national team from spiralling out of control, acting to defuse the crisis that flared between Pharaohs captain Mohamed Salah and the technical staff led by Hossam Hassan and Ibrahim Hassan during the last camp. The aim is to restore calm and keep the former Liverpool star in the team's plans for the upcoming fixtures.
Salah, the Egypt captain and now a Trabzonspor player in Turkey, walked away from the Pharaohs' camp in September 2026 after the match against Angola in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The incident raised plenty of questions about his relationship with the national team's technical staff.
Hossam Hassan had decided to substitute Salah in the 60th minute of that goalless draw with Angola. He explained afterwards that the call was purely tactical and insisted the captain was carrying no injury.
As part of the moves to calm things down, Egyptian journalist Ahmed Abdel Basset revealed that Hani Abu Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, will visit Salah in Turkey in the coming hours.
Abdel Basset said: "Hani Abu Rida, president of the Football Association, is visiting Mohamed Salah in Turkey within a few hours to dissolve the disputes that arose from the last camp because of the national team's technical staff and to bring viewpoints closer with the twins so that Salah joins the national team's next camp."
Abu Rida wants to close the gap between the captain and the coaching staff, open a fresh chapter and clear Salah's path back into the squad for the next camp. Avoiding any lingering tension during the decisive stage of qualifying is the priority.
Two matches against Malawi await in the third and fourth rounds of 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, with the camp getting under way on 9 November at the national teams' centre.
The sides meet on 13 November at Cairo International Stadium in the third round. They renew the rivalry on the 17th at Bingu International Stadium in Malawi for the fourth round.
Egypt sit in Group Two alongside Angola, South Sudan and Malawi. The Pharaohs lead the standings on 4 points, ahead of Angola on goal difference, with Malawi third on 3 points and South Sudan bottom and still pointless.
Egypt opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Angola in Cairo, then thrashed South Sudan 5-0 away from home.