Egypt Coach: Team is 'Happy' at World Cup Despite Dallas Police Issue

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said Friday that he considered the matter resolved after he and team director Ibrahim Hassan had a physical confrontation with a police officer at the team's hotel in Dallas a day earlier.

Video began circulating Thursday, a day before Egypt beat Australia in the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup, showing both men arguing with a Dallas police officer, apparently over a player preparing to take a picture with a young fan in the hotel lobby.

The officer approached Hossam Hassan first, but his interaction with Ibrahim Hassan became a shoving match. Ibrahim Hassan appeared to be upset at the officer intervening. Fans had gathered outside the team's hotel hoping to get autographs and photos with the players before the match.

Dallas police issued a statement saying officers were responding to a request from hotel security about an individual without event credentials attempting to gain access. The statement said the issue was resolved at the scene and that police met with Egyptian representatives to address their concerns.

Hossam Hassan said through a translator that the team had accepted an apology from police.

"We are really happy to be here at this tournament and we are satisfied with the security personnel that are accompanying us," Hossam Hassan said. "I would like to point to the high-level organization we have with us and the level of security we have with us."

The coach did not elaborate further on the confrontation and declined to characterize the officer's conduct during the brief news conference.

The Dallas Police Department said no arrests were made and no injuries were reported in connection with the confrontation.

Hassan has led Egypt since 2024, guiding the team through qualification and into the World Cup. His comments Friday were his first public remarks on the hotel confrontation since the video began spreading online.

Egypt's players did not address the incident directly following Friday's news conference.

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Hassan is the first person to play and coach for Egypt at the World Cup. The victory over Australia came in Egypt's debut in the knockout round of the tournament, extending a run that began with an unbeaten group stage.

Ibrahim Hassan, Hossam Hassan's twin brother, serves as the team's director and was also a longtime Egypt international. Both men made their careers as defenders for the national team before moving into coaching and administrative roles.

The Dallas hotel incident is not the first time a World Cup delegation has reported friction with U.S. security or law enforcement personnel during the tournament. Egyptian officials have said the confrontation stemmed from fans, including children, trying to get close to players for photos, a scene that has repeated itself at team hotels throughout the group stage as public interest in the tournament has grown.

Security around team hotels has been a recurring theme of the tournament, with delegations moving between practice facilities, official events and hotels under tight security protocols involving local police departments and private contractors hired by FIFA. Hassan's remarks suggested Egypt's delegation did not view the Dallas episode as reflective of the broader security arrangements they have experienced.

"I would like to point to the high-level organization we have with us and the level of security we have with us," Hassan repeated when asked whether the team had lingering concerns.

Egypt advanced to the round of 16, continuing a tournament that has drawn wide attention back home. Its opponent will be superstar Lionel Messi and Argentina, which edged upset-minded Cape Verde 3-2 in the round of 32 with a late goal in extra time. The match will be Tuesday at noon ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.