The Egyptian FA have released a statement after ‘shocking’ footage of their team director, Ibrahim Hassan, clashing with US police in Dallas emerged.
Egypt are enjoying a fine World Cup. The Pharaohs opened up their campaign with an impressive 1-1 draw against Belgium.
They then won their first ever match at a World Cup as they defeated New Zealand 3-1, before drawing 1-1 with Iran to secure a second-placed finish in Group G.
Egypt’s reward for finishing second in their group is a last 32 tie against Australia, which is set to take place at Dallas Stadium on Friday, July 3.
However, there have been some ugly scenes involving police and Hassan ahead of the match.
Egypt Respond to Hassan’s Clash With US Police
REUTERS/Albert Gea
In footage posted to social media, former Aston Villa ace Trezeguet can be seen signing a shirt and then posing for a selfie with a youngster when team director Hassan walks over to join him.
But tensions escalated when an individual with ‘Dallas Police’ on the back of his shirt made his way to Hassan to have words with him. After a brief exchange, the police officer appeared to shove Hassan backwards before shouting “Back off!” multiple times.
The two were quickly separated, with Hassan being dragged away by Trezeguet and other individuals present at the scene.
A source within the Egyptian national football team has spoken to Egypt Independent to explain exactly what happened. The source said:
“An altercation occurred between Ibrahim Hassan and a hotel security guard due to the organisers’ poor handling of the Egyptian fans. The fans were eager to take commemorative photos with the players, but security intervened aggressively. This angered Hassan, who stepped in to object to their harsh demeanor.”
The source added that the situation was minor, quickly resolved, and that no boundaries were crossed by either party.
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Mohamed Salah Available To Play Against Australia
Ken Blaze (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)
There were doubts whether Mohamed Salah, considered one of the greatest African players in football history, would be available to play against Australia due to a hamstring issue he sustained against Iran. However, the 34-year-old will feature in the match, according to manager Hossam Hassan.
He said, per ESPN: “Against Iran, we learned that he suffered a hamstring strain during the second half of the match and asked to be substituted. Our very distinguished medical department took care of that, and we tried to introduce him to partial team training as of yesterday only.
“But Salah is a passionate player; he is very much looking forward to making his own contributions with his teammates tomorrow.
“But of course, I am not going to run any risk unless I am sure that he is 100 percent sure of the fact that he is fit and raring to go tomorrow. We look forward to him playing tomorrow, not sure though whether he is going to be in the starting lineup.”
The winner of the match between Egypt and Australia will play either Argentina or Cape Verde in the last 16.
FIFA have been urged to delay an upcoming 2026 World Cup fixture amid an increased risk of “heat related illness or even death” due to a dangerous heat wave.
All matches at this summer’s showpiece international tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico have featured three-minute hydration breaks, one in each half, to allow players to take on fluids in an effort to prevent overheating.
However, hydration breaks may not be sufficient for one upcoming last 16 clash at Lincoln Financial Field, otherwise known as the Philadelphia Stadium at the 2026 World Cup.
Heat Wave Threatens to Impact Last 16 Fixture
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
Temperatures are set to his record highs in Philadelphia, where Paraguay and France go head-to-head on Saturday.
Per talkSPORT, the heat index, including humidity, is expected to be between 37 and 46 degrees Celsius (100F – 115 Fahrenheit) this weekend.
As things stand, France’s last 16 fixture against Paraguay is scheduled to get underway at 5pm local time (10pm BST). Temperatures are still expected to be dangerously high at this point in the day, sparking concern for players, officials and fans.
FIFA’s current heat guidelines state that matches are at risk of being postponed if the wet bulb temperature reaches 32 C (89 F). There’s currently a high chance this temperature will be exceeded when Kylian Mbappe and co. face their South American opponents at the 67,594-capacity stadium which is home to NFL side Philadelphia Eagles.
“When you’re exerting yourself on a particularly hot day, the likelihood of experiencing heat related illness or even death is much higher,” Bahart Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, told the Associated Press.
It’s warned that intense exercise on such a hot day can lead to extreme fatigue, impaired performance, headache, irritability, nausea, dizziness, cramping and dehydration – all symptoms of exertional heat illness.
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FIFA Urged to Push Kick-Off Time Back
REUTERS/Mandel Ngan
Journalist Ian Nicholas Quillen has written an article for Forbes, urging FIFA to delay kick-off for Paraguay vs France.
“Let’s start with the obvious: This was entirely predictable when FIFA decided to engage in wishful thinking and schedule knockout phase matches outdoors on the East Coast during the middle of the day,” Quillen writes.
“Put bluntly, playing this fixture at its scheduled time will put players, fans and match officials at unnecessary risk. And even for TV viewers in the comfort of their own homes, it will significantly impact the product on the field.”
He adds: “But FIFA can still rectify its own mistake with relatively minimal consequences by preemptively delaying kick-off until the evening.”
Pushing the kick-off time back would mean “conditions would become considerably more playable just by delaying matches a few hours until the evening, when at least the impact of the sun could be mitigated.”
He warns that FIFA may find themselves in a similar predicament later in the knockout stages due to the risk of another heat wave impacting the north-east of the United States this month.
Following the game at Torono Stadium, Ronaldo made his way over to Modric and the two former teammates had a few words with each other before sharing an emotional embrace.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo revealed what he said to the legendary midfielder. He said, per Manchester Evening News: “I played with Luka so many matches and we are nearly the same age. He is a legend of football.
“I said to him, ‘Congratulations for everything. I would love to see you again and all the best for the next years of your career’. It was nice to play him once again.”
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Luka Modric Rages at VAR After Portugal 2-1 Croatia
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Modric vented his frustrations at VAR following the match. He said, via Sportske Novosti: “We can look at the game in two parts, in the first half we were not at our best level, we were quite withdrawn, but in the second half we played a phenomenal game.
“That’s one of our better games. We could have easily finished it earlier, but we didn’t manage it. We missed, and then some things happened that are unbelievable to me.
“What is, is there. It’s hard to say what is smart after the game, I don’t want to say something wrong. We can be proud of how we played the second half; we deserved more, but simply, football is like that. “
On the disallowed goal, he said: “He says Matanović touched the ball, but we watched the footage, there’s no evidence that he touched the ball. If he doesn’t touch the ball, it’s not offside.”
He added: “Some things didn’t go our way. That penalty… If it were the other way around, VAR would never have been involved.
“I said about VAR in the beginning, when it was first introduced, that I didn’t like it. Later, over time, it’s good for some things, but they use it incorrectly or use it selectively, or depending on the size of the team.
“VAR should intervene if it’s 200 per cent a mistake, but if it’s not, if it’s in the grey zone, you have no say in it. There’s no point in calling VAR.
“This is no penalty. Both teams are replaying, pushing, Vlašić didn’t pull it, he held it, and both of them fell. That’s why you can’t judge a penalty like that in a game like this.
“That’s why I say, it has to be used if the mistake is 200 per cent. If you can treat something this way or that, you have no say in it.
“That annoys me and always works to our detriment. What is, it is, let’s move on, we won’t complain about it, but of course, some things bother me because fate decides.
“They decide the mood for everything you do, what you give up, you tear yourself apart, you fight. There are young players who come here, and then you do something like this to them… You are to blame for that, and it is always to our detriment.”
Joao Palhinha has confirmed that he won’t be a Tottenham Hotspur player next season following a big U-turn by manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham have been the busiest Premier League club by far in the summer transfer window, with Sandro Tonali set to become their sixth addition imminently after Spurs agreed a club-record £100m fee with Newcastle United for the Italy international.
The 26-year-old follows fellow midfielder Mateus Fernandes through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has meant that De Zerbi has had to backtrack on his previous comments.
The Italian boss had previous said that Palhinha was someone he ‘100%’ wanted to sign this summer, after the Portugal international played a huge part in the club’s survival last season.
Palhinha scored two crucial goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton during the run-in, and while Tottenham didn’t take up the option they had to sign him on a permanent basis, it was expected that they would try and renegotiate the terms.
However, the north Londoners have now turned their back on a deal for the Bayern Munich star, having landed both Fernandes and Tonali for their midfield in big-money deals.
