All is not well in Egyptian football. Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and new manager Hossam Hassan are locked in an intensely publicised trial of wills.
The saga dates back to the Africa Cup of Nations in January but is currently dominating the national conversation, with their tussle being played out on popular sports talk shows and social media platforms.
The rift has meant that Salah stayed put in Liverpool during last week’s international break, missing the Pharaohs’ friendlies at home against New Zealand and Croatia.
The rift with the manager, former international and the Pharaohs’ all-time top scorer Hassan, began when the 31-year-old Salah decided to leave Afcon in the Ivory Coast and return to England to undergo treatment for a hamstring injury he picked during a group match.
His departure kicked off a storm in Egypt, with critics contending that Salah, as captain, should have stayed with the team in the Ivory Coast while receiving treatment. It was understood at the time that Salah would re-join the squad once fully recovered.
Speaking in a television interview soon after Salah’s return to England – and before his appointment as national team manager – Hassan said Salah should not be allowed to play if he returned. Hassan explained it would be unfair on other members of the squad.
“Stay there in Liverpool until you have fully recovered, and God be with you,” he said dismissively.
“Back here, we have men to do the job.”
The Pharaohs, record seven-time African champions, did not advance beyond the round of 16, with the Democratic Republic of Congo showing them the exit door. But the controversy around Salah's departure never went away.
Manager Rui Vitoria of Portugal was soon sacked and Hassan, a veteran of club management, was named as his successor in February.
Salah took to X, formerly Twitter, to thank the Portuguese for his work with the Pharaohs. But he never publicly congratulated Hassan on his appointment, as a team’s captain is expected to do.
His failure to do so has given rise to speculation that Salah may never play for the Pharaohs so long as Hassan is manager.
Experts familiar with the details of the rift said Salah has not spoken to Hassan since he became manager, is not taking his calls and remains publicly silent on the issue.
Instead, the Liverpool marksman relayed his decision not to join the national squad for last week’s friendlies through sports minister Ashraf Sobhy, with whom he is in regular contact.
“He told him that he did not want to leave Liverpool to play friendlies against New Zealand and Croatia and would rather focus on his club football,” said Sabry Siraq, a prominent football commentator.
Hassan made a point of reciprocating the perceived slight.
Speaking to reporters after the Pharaohs’ 4-2 defeat to Croatia, he cited the absence of several key players through injury or other reasons as contributing factors to the poor result. He made no mention of Salah.
Salah’s rift with Hassan has divided fans in Egypt, the vast majority of whom are siding with the Liverpool forward. He has for years been the darling of Egyptians, who revere him for his goalscoring skills and admire him giving back to his home country and the Nile Delta village from which he hails.
He almost single-handedly secured Egypt’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, a tournament they returned to for the first time in 28 years. He also helped the Pharaohs reach the final of two of the three Afcon tournaments before the latest one in the Ivory Coast this year.
At club level, Salah has lifted the Fifa Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, Uefa Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his seven-year spell with Liverpool, who are two points clear at the top of the Premier league table with nine matches remaining, and have a chance to win the Europa League as well.
Experts say the Hassan-Salah rift is unlikely to go away any time soon given the manager’s fiery temper and his pride, which some critics see as unreasonably inflated.
Significantly, Hassan is in this tussle at a time when his management credentials are being questioned by the media, with many analysts contending that he is long on enthusiasm and energy but short on tactics.
The Pharaohs’ uninspiring performance against Croatia and New Zealand (1-0 win for the Pharaohs) did not help his case.
“What Mohamed Salah has done for Egypt equals many titles,” wrote former Egyptian international Ayman Younis. “Egypt now is known the world over for the Giza Pyramids and Salah.
“Hossam Hassan began his time in charge with stubbornness and excesses. We love and support him … but we will lose a great deal (without Salah) and Hassan will regret his present actions.”
Ahmed Shobair, another retired Egypt international turned talk-show host, echoed Younis’s sentiments on Salah, whom he described as the one person who has made the world speak positively about Egypt.
“Who in his right mind would try to do without Salah,” said Shobair, who said he expected the forward to make himself available for the international break in June, when the Pharaohs take on Burkina Faso at home and Guinea-Bissau away in 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
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Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
More from Neighbourhood Watch
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
THE SPECS
GMC Sierra Denali 1500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Price: Dh232,500
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
