I have to admit that the news that exploded into the football world yesterday has caused a bit of confusion about order and how many wives are really in the picture. Anyway… first it is important to say that Egypt’s national team manager Hossam Hassan is a very popular guy in his home country after he led the national team to historic success in this summer’s football World Cup.
Egypt’s national team manager Hossam Hassan has formally divorced his first wife, Howaida Al-Gharbawy, after the conflict in his private life has escalated. The divorce comes after a physical clash between his two wives at a luxury hotel on Egypt’s north coast.
Euphoric celebration of the league gold – minutes later came the news that the gold slipped
According to reports, the divorce is said to have come after an incident in a café at a hotel on the North Coast last Friday, where Hassan’s two wives met face to face. (Personal comment. Sounds like a bad idea)
Mohamed Shams, lawyer for Hassan’s second wife, Dina Mostafa, confirmed the divorce. The decision puts an end to Hassan’s long-standing marriage to Howaida Al-Gharbawy, with whom he has three children – Aya, Rua and Omar. (The news release does not say anything about whether the poor thing is now down to just one wife or if there is a wife further down the list who is moving up)
Fight at the hotel café
The incident reportedly took place in a café inside an exclusive hotel on Egypt’s north coast. According to reports, an oral argument between the two women developed into a physical clash, which caused panic among other guests. Several people reportedly alerted the police.
Both women are said to have suffered injuries and bruises in the clash. Hassan is said to have tried to calm the situation, but reportedly lost consciousness during the intense confrontation. (Embarrassed)
A video of the incident and details of the altercation then spread on social media and sparked widespread discussion in Egyptian football circles.
As tensions escalated, Hassan decided to take formal steps to end the conflict, according to the reports.
Has been separated before
Hassan and Howaida had been together for many years. The couple reportedly separated for around ten days in 2022 before later reconciling and resuming their marriage.
This time, however, Hassan has decided to formally end the relationship after the latest conflict.
Egypt national team manager Hossam Hassan is divorcing his first wife after an alleged quarrel between two wives.
Now comes the answer from the Football Association
The Egyptian Football Federation has fired national team coach Hossam Hassan. In doing so, he interrupted a promising period after a historic commitment to the last eight of the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Hassan’s marital problems had come into the public eye, which caused concern for the team’s image.
Just 60 days ago, the Egyptian Football Federation renewed his contract until 2030. Now Hossam Hassan is done as national team manager – the man who led Egypt to their first World Cup win and knockout round.
Egypt has parted ways with national team boss Hossam Hassan, with Ali Maher named as his replacement, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Saturday.
The Egyptian federation’s press release gave no official reason for the dismissal, and the wording was indirect. But the statement’s reference to the team’s “positive image and stability” seemed to point to the problems that have surrounded Hassan since the World Cup.
“Following the board meeting, which started this morning and is still ongoing, and after reviewing all recent circumstances and events, as well as their negative consequences for the positive reputation and stability of our national team, the board has decided, within its responsibilities and in line with the terms of the contract, to thank Captain Hossam Hassan and his technical and administrative staff,” the statement read.
A number of stories came together
The “recent circumstances and events” seem to suggest a number of stories that have accumulated around Hassan since the World Cup ended.
It began at the end of August, when a video of a family conflict between Hassan and his wives circulated on social media – an argument that would last for months.
The qualification for AFCON 2027 offered no consolation. On September 26, there were reports of a split between Hassan and Mohamed Salah after the winger was substituted early in Egypt’s 0-0 draw against Angola. He was then rested for the next match against South Sudan.
The Egyptian Football Federation confirmed that the decision to rest Salah was “because of the artificial turf on the pitch”. However, Egyptian journalist Ahmed Abdel Basset of MBC Masr 2 claimed that there was “tension in the dressing room” – and that Salah had left the camp quietly after the match against Angola.
FIFA quarantine and media ban
More bad news followed at the end of October, when FIFA handed Hassan a three-match ban for blaming refereeing errors for Egypt’s knockout of Argentina in the World Cup.
A major crisis loomed, however: On November 4, amid the protracted family conflict, Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation imposed an indefinite media ban on him. The council did not specify the violations, but the ban followed an earlier ban on Hassan’s ex-wife appearing in the media after their personal conflicts became public knowledge.
The irony
With Hassan banned from the media and the rift with Salah still simmering before the November break, the federation decided that the “positive image and stability” they spoke of could not be protected with him on the sidelines.
It was a bitter irony: the Pharaohs’ most successful performance on the world stage had given the federation exactly what they wanted – but Hassan’s own off-pitch noise had used it up in less than six months.
Optimism had been high for Egypt after the World Cup, with strong hopes of winning their first AFCON since 2010. Now, with Ali Maher – a regular player in the Egyptian Premier League who has never coached either of Egypt’s two big clubs, Al-Ahly or Zamalek – Egypt faces a new period of uncertainty.
The job he inherits is bigger than a vacant spot: a squad that has set a new standard on the world stage, a Salah issue that still hangs over it, and a continental title that has eluded Egypt since 2010. Whether Maher manages to turn a World Cup top into an AFCON push will define how this sending off is remembered.
