Egypt Appoints Hossam Hassan as Head Coach and His Twin Brother as Team Director 

Jordan's head coach Hossam Hassan speaks with his players during their soccer training session at Amman International Stadium in Jordan, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP)
Jordan's head coach Hossam Hassan speaks with his players during their soccer training session at Amman International Stadium in Jordan, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP)
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Egypt Appoints Hossam Hassan as Head Coach and His Twin Brother as Team Director 

Jordan's head coach Hossam Hassan speaks with his players during their soccer training session at Amman International Stadium in Jordan, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP)
Jordan's head coach Hossam Hassan speaks with his players during their soccer training session at Amman International Stadium in Jordan, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP)

Egypt has put twin brothers in charge of its national football team with Hossam Hassan taking over as coach and Ibrahim Hassan as team director.

The Egyptian Football Association said Tuesday that Hossam Hassan — the country’s all-time top-scorer with 68 goals — will succeed Portuguese coach Rui Vitória, whom it fired Sunday after the team’s disappointing performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt, which has won a record seven Africa Cup titles, failed to win a game in the 34th edition of the tournament and was knocked out by Congo in a dramatic penalty shootout in the round of 16.

As a forward, the Cairo-born Hossam Hassan helped Egypt to three of those titles. He played mostly for hometown club Al Ahly, with a sojourn at PAOK in Greece and Swiss team Neuchâtel Xamax. He also played for other Egyptian clubs before retiring in 2008.

He since coached many Egyptian clubs and the Jordan national team.

Ibrahim Hassan, a former defender, also played for Egypt and accompanied his brother at various clubs.

The Egyptian federation had said it was looking for a foreign coach to succeed Vitória. French coach Herve Renard had been tipped to take over.

Vitória, who was appointed Egypt coach on a four-year deal in 2022, failed to get the best out of the team. The Pharaohs drew all their Africa Cup group games by the same score of 2-2 against Mozambique, Ghana and Cape Verde before its loss on penalties to Congo.

After losing Mohamed Salah to a hamstring injury in the second group game against Ghana, and No. 1 goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy with a dislocated shoulder in the third against group winner Cape Verde, the Egyptian federation sacrificed a cow in an attempt the change the team’s luck.

But reserve goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal — whose saves almost won the title for Egypt in the previous edition — struck the crossbar with his spot kick in the penalty shootout before Congo counterpart Lionel Mpasi stepped up to fire Congo into the quarterfinals.

Congo has since progressed to the semifinals, where the Leopards face host nation Ivory Coast on Wednesday.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.