The atmosphere ahead of the crucial 2026 World Cup round of 32 match between Egypt and Australia momentarily heated up. An incident involving Egyptian team director Ibrahim Hassan and Dallas police officers occurred in the team's hotel lobby, drawing public attention after footage of the event went viral.
The dispute began when an Egyptian player attempted to take a photo with a young fan. During the interaction, two Dallas police officers took security measures deemed overly aggressive by pushing team staff away from the player and the fan. The situation escalated when an officer shoved Ibrahim Hassan while repeatedly shouting instructions to step back.
Ibrahim Hassan, who is also the brother of Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan, reacted strongly to the treatment. Tensions nearly reached a boiling point as both sides almost came to blows. Other members of the Egyptian delegation quickly intervened to separate them, reportedly even convincing the police not to draw a taser to prevent further escalation.
Reports from Egyptian local media outlet Egyptian Independent indicated that the team objected to the police's behavior, considering it unprofessional and harsh toward their staff. Despite the tension, the situation was brought under control within a short time with no reported injuries or arrests.
This incident occurred just before Egypt was scheduled to face Australia at Dallas Stadium early Saturday (4/7). As of now, the relevant security authorities have not issued an official statement regarding the incident involving the foreign football delegation.
