The key facts
- Egypt's media regulator banned national team coach Hossam Hassan from media appearances on November 4
- The ban does not extend to press conferences and coverage of the national team's sporting activities
- Hassan's contract with the national team has been extended until 2030, and he continues to lead the team
Regulator restricts national team coach's media appearances
Hossam Hassan, head coach of the Egypt national football team, has been banned from appearing in local media. The decision was made on November 4 by Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), as stated on the authority's official website; details of the scandal are reported by Life.ru. The restrictions cover television channels, online outlets and other platforms falling under Egypt's law on the regulation of press and media. The ban took effect immediately after the decision was published; its duration has not been specified.
The trigger was a conflict in the coach's family
The regulator's intervention is linked to a protracted scandal surrounding the personal life of the 60-year-old specialist. Over the summer, it was reported that Hassan's ex-wife and current wife got into a fight while on holiday at a hotel; the coach tried to separate the women but lost consciousness and needed medical assistance. The Council stressed that the media should serve the dissemination of knowledge and education rather than become a platform for sorting out personal relationships, and called on journalists to refrain from publishing details of citizens' family conflicts.
What the ban does not cover and who else is under restrictions
According to Al Jazeera, citing Egyptian media, the ban does not apply to press conferences dedicated to the national team's performances or to coverage of its sporting activities. The media regulator also kept in place an earlier ban on media appearances by the coach's ex-wife Dina Mostafa, known as Dan Adam. Representatives of several online outlets were summoned for questioning over publications about the private lives of those involved in the conflict.
Hassan keeps his post as head coach
Despite the scandal, Hassan continues to lead the national team: in September, the Egyptian Football Association extended his contract until 2030. Thus, the restriction concerns only public media appearances on topics unrelated to the national team — it does not formally affect the coach's professional status.
