Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the Egypt national team, and his brother Ibrahim Hassan, the team's manager, have picked a new fight, this time with the media. Khaled El-Balshy, head of the Egyptian Journalists' Syndicate, has declared the syndicate's solidarity with three sports critics after the twins filed complaints against them, warning against turning professional disagreements into legal pursuits that target the freedom to criticise.
The Journalists' Syndicate issued a statement announcing its full solidarity with journalists Abu El-Maati Zaki, Ahmed Abdel Basset and Mohamed El-Mahdi, after reports circulated that Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan had filed complaints against them over the publication of news and information relating to sporting matters.
El-Balshy published the statement on his Facebook page. In it, the syndicate stressed that sports criticism is an inherent right, and that assessing the performance of coaching staffs and their decisions concerning the national teams represents an essential part of the role of sports journalism, while adhering to the principles and charters of the profession.
Filing complaints against journalists over the publication of news or critical opinions, even if these contradict the point of view of the coaching staff, represents a departure from the natural context of the relationship between the national team and sports journalism, the syndicate said.
Professional disagreements should be settled through the right of reply rather than immediate legal escalation, El-Balshy stressed. Filing complaints before completing the steps of a professional reply, he said, may represent an attempt to silence journalists, intimidate them and prevent them from conveying information and facts that may not please certain parties.
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It would be more appropriate, the syndicate added, for Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan to present their account and the facts on which they rely if they had any objection to what had been published or broadcast, or to submit a complaint to the Journalists' Syndicate as the professional body responsible for examining complaints related to journalistic work.
Any professional violations, should they be proven, must be dealt with through the competent institutional channels, the statement affirmed, in a way that preserves the rights of all parties without restricting the freedom to criticise.
The Football Association bears responsibility
Then came the escalation. The Journalists' Syndicate held the Egyptian Football Association responsible for the crisis, as the institution that manages the affairs of Egyptian football and provides a suitable climate for cooperation between the national team and press and media institutions.
Its call to the Football Association was blunt: contact Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan urgently, persuade them to drop the complaints filed against the sports critics, and contain the dispute through dialogue and understanding rather than let tension between the national team's coaching staff and sports journalism worsen.
Press freedom is a red line
A press that publishes only what pleases the coaching staff, while journalists face legal pursuits for presenting facts or opposing opinions, is something the syndicate flatly rejects. Independence of the press is a red line, it stressed, and it will take whatever syndicate and legal steps are necessary to defend its members.
Supporting the Egypt national team and backing its progress do not conflict with the right of the press to criticise and assess, the syndicate said as it closed its statement, calling on all parties to give precedence to the language of reason and professional dialogue, and to preserve a relationship built on mutual respect, away from escalation and legal pursuits.
What is the origin of the dispute?
It all goes back to complaints filed by Hossam Hassan, the head coach of the Egypt national team, and his brother Ibrahim Hassan, the team's manager, against a number of sports journalists, among them Abu El-Maati Zaki, Ahmed Abdel Basset and Mohamed El-Mahdi, over what was published or raised about them in sporting circles.
Journalistic circles reacted sharply. The dispute concerns critical and media content linked to the national team's performance and the conduct of its coaching and administrative staff, which prompted Khaled El-Balshy, head of the Egyptian Journalists' Syndicate, to announce solidarity with the three journalists.