Egypt have sacked head coach Hossam Hassan and appointed Ali Maher as his replacement, the Egyptian Football Association confirmed on Saturday, ending a turbulent tenure just days before the Pharaohs return to Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.
The EFA announced the decision in a statement shared on social media, thanking Hassan and his technical and administrative staff "in line with the terms of the contract". The board said the move followed a review of "the circumstances and events of the past period" and what it described as their negative effect on the national team's image and stability. Reuters reported the EFA's statement on Saturday.
Hassan, 60, had only renewed his contract until 2030 after leading Egypt to the round of 16 at this year's World Cup, where they were knocked out by Argentina. His dismissal comes barely two months after that extension, a measure of how quickly the relationship between coach and federation collapsed.
Flashscore reports Hassan left after 38 matches in charge, winning 21, drawing 10 and losing seven. He took over in February 2024, replacing Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria, and led Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco before guiding them to the World Cup.
The Salah row that turned the tide
The breaking point appears to have been Hassan's deteriorating relationship with captain Mohamed Salah. During the October international break, Hassan substituted Salah in the 60th minute of a goalless home draw with Angola in AFCON qualifying, a decision that drew fierce scrutiny in Egypt.
Salah then left the national team camp, with the EFA saying the Trabzonspor forward avoids playing on artificial pitches and would therefore miss the following match against South Sudan. EFA president Hany Abo Rida flew to Turkey this month to meet Salah in person, a sign of how seriously the federation viewed the rift.
The tension did not stop there. Earlier this week, Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation barred Hassan from appearing in all media outlets, an unprecedented sanction against a national team coach. FIFA had already handed Hassan a three-match ban after he criticised the referee following Egypt's defeat by Argentina, a punishment that also applied to his twin brother Ibrahim Hassan, the team director, ruling both out of the upcoming games against Malawi.
Hassan also became embroiled in a public dispute with Al Ahly after claiming goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy had been "finished" at an earlier stage of his career. The controversies piled up faster than the results could justify them, and the federation finally acted.
Ali Maher takes over days before Malawi
Ali Maher, 52, takes charge after a successful spell with Ceramica Cleopatra, who sit fourth in the Egyptian Premier League. The former Smouha, ENPPI, Al Masry and Modern Sport coach inherits a team in the middle of a qualifying campaign, with no time for a bedding-in period.
Egypt are due to begin a training camp on 9 November ahead of two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi, at Cairo International Stadium on 13 November and away on 17 November. Maher will have four days with his squad before his first match in charge.
That is a brutal introduction for any coach, let alone one stepping up from club football to the most scrutinised job in Egyptian sport. But the EFA clearly decided that a change now, however rushed, was better than carrying a broken relationship into a qualifying double-header.
So what does this mean for Egypt?
The sacking lays bare a familiar Egyptian football truth: no coach survives a public fallout with Salah. The captain is not just Egypt's best player; he is the face of the national team, and when the federation had to choose between its coach and its star, there was only ever going to be one winner.
For Maher, the immediate task is simple: win both Malawi games and steady the ship. Anything less and the questions will start before he has even picked a settled XI. For Salah, the change removes the coach who hooked him in Angola and restores a working relationship with the federation, but it also raises the expectation on him to deliver on the pitch.
The wider lesson is that Egypt's World Cup run papered over cracks that were already showing. A contract until 2030 meant nothing once the image of the team, in the federation's own words, was at stake.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Egypt have chosen Salah over Hassan, and in the short term that is the only call that makes sense — but sacking a coach four days before a qualifier is a gamble, and Ali Maher now has to win twice to prove it was the right one. Was the EFA right to sack Hossam Hassan now, or should they have waited until after the Malawi qualifiers? Let us know in the comments.
