When Substitution Sparks a Rift: Hassan vs Mustafa Mohamed, a Locker Room Saga
18 November 2025
Substitution incident
Since taking charge of Egypt in February 2024, talk has circulated about tension between coach Hossam Hassan and some of the team’s star players, led by Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
One of the players tied to the controversy is Mustafa Mohamed, the Nantes striker who dominated headlines in the hours after the Cape Verde friendly as part of a high-profile eye-catching spectacle in a neutral warm-up event.
A reckless remark from Hassan reignited the dispute with Mustafa Mohamed, becoming a focal point in football circles in recent hours.
Match moment
The Cape Verde clash featured a controversial 86th-minute substitution, with Salah Mohsen coming on for Mustafa Mohamed.
Hassan waited on the touchline to make the change while Mustafa Mohamed appeared to refuse the substitution, staying on the field and triggering a coach’s outburst, though Mustafa eventually left the bench in sadness rather than protest.
The match finished 1-1, then Egypt prevailed 2-0 on penalties after extra time, though neither Hassan nor Mustafa issued comments about the incident.
Hassan’s fiery remarks
In response, Hassan delivered fiery statements at the post-match press conference, firing off angry messages that sparked widespread debate following Egypt’s 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan.
Hassan issued a provocative remark, drawing a comparison between his respect as a national-team coach and Walid Rekraki, the highly regarded Moroccan coach who leads a constellation of stars in Europe.
He said: "We in this national team have only two professionals and a quarter; we have Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool star, and Omar Marmoush, a Manchester City star, and Mustafa Mohamed who is on track and would shine if given a full opportunity at Nantes."
The remark was criticized for downplaying Mustafa Mohamed’s abilities as a European-based professional and for implying a broader shortage of top European-based players in Egypt, despite the team having won three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles (2006, 2008, 2010) with a largely domestically-driven squad.
Hassan could have given chances to younger players active in Europe—such as Omar Khadr (Aston Villa), Cameron Ismail (Arsenal youth), and Karim Ahmed (Liverpool U21)—but he did not, and had previously refused to give Sam Morsi a chance in the Premier League last season.
Past clash
Mustafa Mohamed previously clashed with Hassan after being substituted against Botswana in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. He later became a substitute for much of Hassan’s tenure, and tensions cooled in Burkina Faso in September after rumors that Mohamed Salah intervened to help restore relations.
What Mustafa Mohamed has delivered under Hassan Hassan?
Mustafa Mohamed played 16 games under Hassan Hassan, starting nine and benching seven. He scored only one goal under Hassan, against New Zealand on Egypt’s first match with Hassan on March 22, 2024.
By contrast, the player nicknamed "The Anaconda" had 12 goals in 37 appearances for Egypt prior to Hassan and also provided six assists. Mustafa Mohamed’s form under Hassan remains a concern, and these recent remarks may spark a fresh row ahead of AFCON 2025.
Egypt are placed in Group B at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, alongside South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Angola, with hopes of reclaiming the title last won in 2010.
Hassan dreams of emulating his mentor Mahmoud El-Gohary, who lifted the trophy as a player in 1959 and as an assistant coach in 1998. Hassan himself has tasted glory as a player in 1986, 1998, and 2006, and now seeks the championship as a coach for the first time.
Two punchlines keep the tension manageable: if drama were a goal, this saga would be a hat-trick of headlines; and if timing were everything, Hassan’s substitutions would need a sniper’s precision—just not on the bench, please.
