Egypt Football Association vice-president Khaled El-Drendaly says there will be a “decisive review” of events involving the national team on their trip to face South Sudan, while insisting there is currently no discussion about sacking head coach Hossam Hassan.
El-Drendaly, who led the delegation for Egypt’s 5-0 victory in the second round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, said the dispute centred on administrative and organisational issues rather than a direct breach by the coaching staff.
“There was no direct تجاوز by Egypt’s technical staff, but there was an administrative and organisational mistake,” El-Drendaly told ON Sport. “The technical staff and players arrived late at the airport, and according to protocol they were supposed to greet me as head of the delegation before departure.”
He said he had received what he regarded as an implicit message from Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan directed at the football association, and that the disagreement continued during the flight.
“We spent the entire flight with each side going in a different direction,” he said.
El-Drendaly added that he had deliberately avoided allowing the issue to escalate because he was responsible for representing Egypt during the trip.
“Leading the delegation represents the name of Egypt, so I avoided any problems at that time and handled the situation with complete calm,” he said.
“Once we arrived, I arranged all the organisational matters. Even in the dining area, I separated the room for the players and technical staff from the area allocated to the football association and guests. There was no conversation between me and the technical staff after the South Sudan match.”
He said his relationship with the players remained normal and denied that Mohamed Salah had contacted either football association president Hany Abou Rida or him about the dispute.
“I fully understand the duties and responsibilities of the head of the delegation. My dealings with the players were normal, and the relationship between us remains cordial,” El-Drendaly said.
“There was absolutely no communication between Mohamed Salah and engineer Hany Abou Rida, or with me, on this matter.”
No decision on coaching staff
Asked about the future of the coaching staff, El-Drendaly said: “There is currently no talk of the technical staff leaving, but there will certainly be a decisive review because of this incident.
“There were some unusual matters during the delegation’s trip, and they must be corrected in the coming period. Statements from the technical staff are often overlooked and allowed to pass, despite frequently being inappropriate.”
El-Drendaly said he would meet Hany Abou Rida and the coaching staff to clarify the points of disagreement.
“We are not in conflict with anyone. All board members attended the national team’s training sessions,” he said.
“But publishing news about the national team delegation’s departure and return without mentioning the name of the head of the delegation is completely unacceptable. In doing so, we create unnecessary problems.”
He also defended the association’s statement supporting goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, which reports said had angered Hossam Hassan after the coach criticised the player.
“The Egyptian Football Association’s statement supporting El-Shenawy was a normal matter and was approved by every member of the board without exception,” El-Drendaly said.
Egypt will host South Africa at Cairo Stadium on Sunday in their final friendly of the current international break.
