Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation has barred national team coach Hossam Hassan from appearing across media outlets subject to Egyptian law, in the latest development in a dispute involving coverage of his private life.
The council, chaired by Khaled Abdel Aziz, issued the decision as part of measures intended to regulate coverage of family disputes, following continued reporting on the conflict between the Egypt coach and Dan Adam across media outlets and digital platforms.
The statement ordered “a ban on appearances by Captain Hossam Hassan, head coach of the senior national football team, across all media outlets”, effective immediately. No end date was announced.
The latest chapter in the dispute followed a complaint submitted to the public prosecutor on 2 November by Hassan’s lawyers, Ahmed and Amir Mortada Mansour. It accused Adam of forging a customary marriage contract and committing bigamy, based on a disagreement over when her previous marriage had ended.
Her former husband denied the bigamy allegation, while Adam’s lawyer rejected the accusations and said he held documents supporting his client’s position. These remain disputed allegations between the parties, rather than judicial findings establishing wrongdoing.
The council had already barred Adam from media appearances in September and confirmed that the restriction remained in force. It also summoned legal representatives of websites accused of breaching privacy rules and warned of tougher measures if publication continued. The council linked its intervention to providing a suitable working environment for the national team’s coaching staff, away from the controversy.
The media decision neither removes Hassan from his position nor suspends him from coaching. He does, however, face a separate sporting sanction: FIFA has imposed three-match bans on him and his brother Ibrahim Hassan following incidents during Egypt’s round-of-16 match against Argentina at the 2026 World Cup.
Under that sanction, both will be absent from the bench for the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers against Malawi on 13 and 17 November, as well as the next competitive fixture in March, unless the Egyptian Football Association succeeds in having the ruling amended on appeal.
The association is pursuing an appeal as Egypt prepare to announce their squad on 8 November and begin their training camp the following day. The Pharaohs enter the Malawi double-header with four points after drawing with Angola and beating South Sudan 5–0, with the coaching staff’s availability for the two matches still awaiting clarification.
