Egypt FA responds after national team staff have a bad run-in with American police before the game against Australia
Egypt’s team got off to a rocky start as they prepared for their World Cup match against Australia, after a tense moment with police at their hotel.
The Pharaohs arrived in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, ready to face Australia on Friday, following all the FIFA rules. But things got heated in the hotel lobby when some of Egypt’s staff had a run-in with police officers.
A video that spread online shows a young fan snapping a photo with Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, known as ‘Trezeguet’ and a former Aston Villa player. Suddenly, a police officer stepped in, and the mood quickly turned tense. The officer and a member of Egypt’s coaching staff got into a heated argument, with the officer seeming to push the staff member.
Egypt’s assistant manager, Ibrahim Hassan—who’s also the coach’s twin brother—was very upset and had to be calmed down by Trezeguet and others. He even shouted at the officer in frustration. The officer kept telling people to “back off” and at one point appeared to reach for something. Luckily, things didn’t get worse and the situation was settled without any serious problems.
The Egyptian Football Association explained that a child was accidentally pushed by security while trying to take a photo, and that Hassan stepped in soon after, leading to a minor argument with the officer. They said any rumors about a bigger incident are simply not true. An Egyptian journalist who was there agreed, calling Hassan’s reaction “natural” and saying he stepped in to defend his team.
Egypt’s chance to reach the knockout stage may depend on their star player, Mo Salah. He had to leave their last game against Iran due to an injury but has been training normally since. Still, the assistant manager isn’t sure if Salah will start the match.
“Salah is a passionate player and really wants to help the team,” Hassan said. “But I won’t take any risks unless he’s 100% ready. We hope he plays tomorrow, but we’re not sure if he’ll be in the starting lineup.”
The winner of the match in Texas will probably face Argentina in the round of 16, if Argentina gets past Cape Verde as expected.