Egyptian Football Association vice president Khaled El-Darandaly has called for an apology to resolve his dispute with Egypt’s coaching staff.
El-Darandaly, who headed the Egyptian delegation in Juba, said the EFA plans to meet head coach Hossam Hassan and his staff over the incident.
The dispute began before Egypt travelled to South Sudan for their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
El-Darandaly said members of the coaching staff arrived at Cairo airport but headed towards the aircraft without greeting him. He had arrived around 30 minutes before the rest of the delegation.
“There are 100 ways to deal with what happened because the situation cannot simply be overlooked,” El-Darandaly told ON Sport.
He said an apology and a commitment not to repeat the incident represented possible solutions.
“There is a difference between the player, administrator, coaching staff and official,” he added. “Everyone has to know their limits.”
However, El-Darandaly stressed that the dispute does not place Hassan’s Egypt job under immediate threat.
He will submit his customary report on the South Sudan trip to the EFA board, but said it would not recommend dismissing the technical staff.
“The coaching staff will continue,” El-Darandaly said. “We do not settle scores.”
He added that the EFA prioritises stability and does not intend to make a rushed decision over the incident. Still, El-Darandaly maintained that the EFA would address the breach of protocol.
He also criticised official federation posts surrounding the trip which referred to the delegation travelling under the leadership of the technical staff rather than its designated head.
El-Darandaly said the national team’s media coordinator works closely with the coaching staff and described the omission as unacceptable.
“This is wrong and cannot happen,” he said. “Whoever did it will be held accountable,” El-Darandaly added, saying he deliberately avoided confronting the coaching staff during the trip.
He also said there was no discussion with Hassan after Egypt’s match in Juba.
The Pharaohs beat South Sudan 5-0 to record their first win of the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign.
Omar Marmoush scored twice after Mostafa Ziko opened the scoring, while Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim completed the rout.
The victory took Egypt to four points from two Group B games following their goalless opening draw against Angola.
El-Darandaly has rejected reports of a direct confrontation or personal insults during the South Sudan trip.
He instead described the incident as a failure to observe the hierarchy and protocol governing national-team delegations.
The EFA board will now review his report, with a meeting between federation officials and Hassan’s staff expected as both sides seek to close the dispute.