FIFA World Cup 2026: Hossam Hassan dismisses Salah unrest rumours ahead of Egypt's crucial clash with New Zealand
Vancouver, June 21
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has dismissed speculation of unrest involving star forward Mohamed Salah, emphasising that all 26 players in the squad are equally important and that he treats everyone professionally without favouritism.
He praised Salah's discipline, leadership, and positive influence on his teammates, describing him as a role model within the squad.
Hassan stressed that team decisions, including substitutions, are made for the benefit of the national team and said Salah fully respects those decisions.
He dismissed speculation surrounding the star forward and expressed confidence that Salah would continue to have a positive impact ahead of the match against New Zealand.
Salah was instrumental in Egypt's qualification campaign, scoring nine goals; he also provided the assist for Emam Ashour in Egypt's opening 1-1 draw with the Belgium national football team in Seattle. Salah was substituted in the 76th minute, making way for highly rated teenage forward Hamza Abdelkarim.
"Salah is an important player for our squad, and the 26 players who are here with me are very important. Every player who has worked with me knows I deal with them in a professional manner. I do not have favourites," Hassan told reporters as per Reuters.
"Salah is a great player who helps his teammates. He has a lot of discipline and is a role model. If he starts or if he gets substituted, it's fine. It is his role as a player. Everyone knows that I am working for the benefit of the team and the national side. Rumours are being spread about stars, about players, about teams. But Salah is someone who is very disciplined," he added.
"He trains with us. He's the first player that would also say yes to my decisions as a technical director. So I think he will be very positive tomorrow," he concluded.
New Zealand also opened their campaign by sharing the points in a 2-2 draw with Iran in California, leaving the group finely poised ahead of Sunday's encounter against New Zealand at BC Place.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, it's refreshing to see a coach who doesn't bow down to superstar pressure. Hassan's approach is something captains like Virat Kohli could learn from—team first, egos aside. Salah is world-class, but no one is bigger than the team. Egypt vs New Zealand will be interesting!
Nice to see Salah being a true professional. But honestly, subbing him off at 76th minute when the game was 1-1? That decision will always be questioned, yaar. Hassan is brave for that, but if Egypt lose against NZ, people will blame the coach, not the player. Risky move.
As an Indian football fan, I can only dream of having this level of professionalism in our system. Salah scores 9 goals in qualifiers and still takes a back seat? Unreal. Meanwhile, our players can't even handle a bad coach selection. Egypt better win this group!
Everyone talking about Salah, but that young Hamza Abdelkarim replacing him at 19 years old is a huge story! 🎯 Hassan is building for the future, not just the present. Classic long-term vision that we Indians appreciate—like our own cricket transition from old guard to new blood. Smart move, coach.
Arre bhai, these 'rumours' are just clickbait for World Cup hype. Hassan is 100% right—any decent coach knows you need everyone pulling together. But I'm still worried about Egypt's defence after that Belgium draw. Salah can't do everything alone. New Zealand will be a proper test!
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