Mohammad Salah backed for Egypt coach role amid Hossam Hassan suspension

Dubai: Mohamed Salah has been backed for a surprise role with Egypt’s national team, with former national head coach Mohsen Saleh suggesting the Liverpool legend could take charge temporarily while head coach Hossam Hassan serves a FIFA suspension.

Saleh believes Salah is the right person to lead the Pharaohs in their next three matches, given the limited time available to prepare for the fixtures. The 77-year-old analyst understands the responsibility of coaching the Egypt side as he led the team twice in 1995 and 2002.

Writing on X, Saleh said: “Due to the time constraint, he is the most suitable to lead the team in the three upcoming matches. Salah has the personal and technical qualifications to carry out the task.”

He also pointed to players who combined their playing careers with leadership roles, including Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea, Ryan Giggs at Manchester United and George Weah with Liberia.

Hossam and his twin brother Ibrahim, Egypt’s team director, were handed three-match suspensions by FIFA following comments criticising refereeing after the country’s 3-2 defeat by Argentina in the 2026 World Cup last 16.

The bans will keep them away from the technical area for Egypt’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi and their March fixture against Angola.

Salah remains one of Egypt’s biggest football icons. He has scored 66 international goals and provided 37 assists, making him the country’s second-highest scorer behind Hossam. However, he is yet to win a senior international trophy, finishing runner-up at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2021.

The proposal would give Salah an opportunity to influence Egypt beyond his performances on the pitch.