Egypt appoint record scorer Hossam Hassan as national team coach

In early February 2024, the Egyptian Football Association named Hossam Hassan head coach of the national team. He replaced Portuguese coach Rui Vitória, who left after Egypt went out of the Africa Cup of Nations in the last 16, losing on penalties to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hassan is Egypt's all-time leading scorer and a former star of Al Ahly and Zamalek, the country's two biggest clubs. His twin brother Ibrahim joined the set-up in a senior support role, described in reports as team director or team manager. The two had played together for years and worked as a pair in the dugout.

The appointment mattered because it put a home-grown figure in charge of a team led by Mohamed Salah, after a spell under foreign coaches. It also shaped the debate about the national team's direction that resurfaced when Hassan later left the job.