Trabzonspor beat Alanyaspor 2-0 on Sunday in the eleventh round of the Turkish league, with Mohamed Salah scoring and posting a photo that sparked controversy. Some followers linked the image to developments in the Egypt national team and Hossam Hassan’s departure.
Salah scores for Trabzonspor
Salah started the match and scored Trabzonspor’s second goal in the 34th minute. The goal took his Turkish league tally to nine, while his total across all competitions for Trabzonspor reached 11.
Photo draws controversy
Salah posted a photo on his social media accounts in which he appeared making the victory sign and sticking out his tongue. Some followers linked the photo to developments in the Egypt national team and Hossam Hassan’s departure. Salah had not issued a statement bidding farewell to Hassan since Hassan’s departure.
Egypt announces coaching change
The Egyptian Football Association announced on Saturday the end of Hossam Hassan’s mission and that of his backroom staff, along with the appointment of Ali Maher as the new technical director.
Dispute dates back to September
The crisis between Salah and Hossam Hassan went back to Egypt’s last camp in September. Hassan substituted his captain after 60 minutes of Egypt’s clash with Angola in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, a game that ended goalless. Hassan justified the substitution on technical grounds.
Salah left the Egypt camp and sat out the clash with South Sudan. The technical staff insisted that Salah’s absence came by agreement with the player because the match was played on an artificial grass surface. Salah also missed the friendly against South Africa.
The football association’s management stepped in to try to contain the situation and bring Salah and the staff closer. Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida travelled to Turkey and met Mohamed Salah in an attempt to defuse the dispute and bridge the gap with Hossam Hassan before the November camp.
