Mohsen Saleh, former chairman of Al-Ahly’s planning committee, has suggested that Mohamed Salah, the Trabzonspor forward, should lead the Egypt national team during the suspension of Hossam Hassan, the head coach banned for three matches by FIFA. No official announcement has been made at this stage.
The idea comes as a surprise, but it is doing the rounds in Egyptian debate. After FIFA suspended the head coach Hossam Hassan and his twin brother Ibrahim Hassan, the team director, for three matches, Mohsen Saleh has put forward the name of Mohamed Salah to take interim charge on the bench. The Trabzonspor and Pharaohs forward has never previously been presented as a candidate for the role.
The proposal has been reported by the websites Xiaker and PPSport. It remains a simple statement: the story records no announcement from the Egyptian Football Association, nor any reaction from the player.
Three matches without the Hassans
FIFA has suspended Hossam Hassan and Ibrahim Hassan for three matches, following events during the Egypt-Argentina match, according to Xiaker and PPSport. The two men will miss the two meetings with Malawi, on 13 and 17 November, as well as the match against Angola in March 2027.
The scope of the suspension is broad. According to Mohsen Saleh, quoted by Xiaker, “FIFA forbids those suspended from being present in the dressing room or the tunnel before or during the match. They also cannot be on the bench or in the technical area, nor have direct contact with the players.” The two men therefore cannot take part either in the immediate preparation for matches or in the running of them from the bench.
It is this void, combined with the urgency of the calendar, that Mohsen Saleh highlights. “Entrusting Salah with the role of interim head coach… given the urgency, he is the best equipped to lead the next three matches… Salah possesses the personal and technical abilities required for this task,” he said, according to PPSport.
Precedents to make the case
To support his proposal, Mohsen Saleh cites players who combined roles on the pitch and on the bench: Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli, Ryan Giggs and George Weah, according to PPSport.
The story says nothing, however, about the player’s availability. No cited source mentions an agreement from Trabzonspor to release him, nor even any discussion to that effect. The proposal concerns the role of interim coach, not the practical arrangements for combining it with the Turkish club.
Nor is there anything to indicate that Mohamed Salah, whose situation is not detailed in the story either in terms of his contract or his fitness, wishes to take on this responsibility.
The Emam Ashour case in the background
The debate over the coaching of the national team comes alongside discussions about the squad list. The pundit Gamal Hamza, a former Zamalek player, believes that Emam Ashour, an Al-Ahly player, should not be called up for the next gathering, because of his technical and physical condition, according to Almasry Alyoum.
Abdel Aziz Abdel Shafi, a former Al-Ahly coach, agrees. “Of course not, Emam Ashour should not go to the national team,” he told Khalfelhadth, adding: “Behaviourally, Emam Ashour cannot go to the national team.” He acknowledges his technical qualities, but judges that his behaviour is the main obstacle to a call-up.
These views remain those of pundits and do not prejudge the Federation’s choices.
A bench still without a name
The Pharaohs will face Malawi on 13 November in Cairo, for matchday three of Group B, then travel to Lilongwe on 17 November for matchday four. The story mentions no name for the bench at either of these two matches.