Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, sister of the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was elected Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee at the Extraordinary General Assembly held today (Monday).
Sheikha Hind, sister of the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
Sheikha Hind (42 years old) previously participated in the Hamburg Triathlon, which is the largest triathlon race in the world, which was held in 2021 in the German city of Hamburg.
The General Assembly, which was held under the chairmanship of Sheikh Joaan, witnessed the appointment of Mohammed bin Youssef Al Mana as Vice President, after Dr. Thani bin Abdul Rahman Al Kuwari apologized for his position.
Qatar, which will host the Asian Games for the second time in 2030, hopes to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, becoming the first host in the Middle East and North Africa.
Qatar competes with India, South Africa, Germany, Hungary, South Korea, and Turkey.
The “ongoing dialogue” continues with interested potential hosts away from the limelight, and will be followed, starting in March 2027, by a “strategic dialogue” with an initial list of candidates, as explained in June by committee chair Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.
Sheikh Joaan, who also heads the Olympic Council of Asia, said: “We currently have a sports infrastructure that is 95 percent ready to host the Olympics, and we have an integrated national plan that ensures that all facilities are 100 percent ready.”
Hossam Hassan's journey with the Egyptian national team ended unexpectedly, after the coach who led the "Pharaohs" to the round of 16 in the World Cup for the first time became the focus of a series of disputes and technical, media and personal crises.
While the decision of the Egyptian Football Association to appoint Ali Maher as his successor raised questions about the real reasons behind his departure, the name of Mohamed Salah topped the scene, amid speculation about the role of the national team captain in ending the mission of the “general.”
According to the Egyptian media, the controversy escalated regarding Salah’s relationship with the dismissal decision, especially after the visit of Federation President Hani Abu Raida to the player in the Turkish city of Trabzon, late last October, in a move that reports linked to an attempt to contain tension between the national team captain and the technical staff. However, Mustafa Abu Zahra, a member of the Egyptian Federation’s Board of Directors, categorically denied Salah’s interference in the dismissal of Hossam Hassan or the selection of his successor.
Abu Zahra said, in statements to the Egyptian “On Sport” channel, that “Mohamed Salah has no role in choosing Ali Maher to coach the national team, and the decision is made by the federation itself,” explaining that Abu Raida’s visit to the player came within the framework of a relationship similar to that of a father with his son.
He added that despite his previous disagreements with Salah, the latter does not interfere at all in choosing the technical staff, stressing the federation’s desire to continue with the national team for as long as possible.
The Egyptian Federation announced on Saturday the termination of the duties of Hossam Hassan and his supporting staff, including his brother Ibrahim Hassan, who served as the national team’s manager, after reviewing the recent events and their negative impact on the positive image and stability of the national team, stressing that maintaining stability represents the highest priority.
The decision came three days after the Supreme Council for Media Regulation banned Hossam Hassan from appearing in the media, against the backdrop of a case related to his private life and his disputes with his ex-wife.
According to local media reports, lawyers representing the coach filed a complaint against his ex-wife, Dina Mustafa, known in the media as “Dan Adam,” which included accusations of forging official documents and marrying spouses, accusations that were denied by her representatives. The Council did not reveal the details of the violations on which the ban was based.
The move sparked widespread reactions, as Osama Nabih, the former assistant coach of the Egyptian national team, said on MBC Egypt 2 that he did not remember a national team coach being subjected to a similar decision, adding that if he had been in Hossam Hassan’s place, he would have resigned.
Personal crises were not the only reason behind the escalation of pressure on the coach, as last September witnessed an incident that sparked widespread controversy, when Mohamed Salah was substituted in the 60th minute during a goalless draw against Angola in the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. The coach described the substitution as a technical decision, but Salah’s departure from the camp and his absence from the next match against South Sudan, which ended in a 5-0 victory for Egypt, increased speculation about a dispute between the two parties.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Federation explained that the player’s absence was due to his desire to avoid playing on artificial turf fields.
Criticism extended to the way Hassan dealt with other players, led by goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, after statements by the coach that were considered a downgrade of his status sparked widespread controversy, especially with the goalkeeper’s return to providing good levels with Al-Ahly. There were also reports of disagreements with striker Mustafa Mohamed, who was absent from the national team roster for several months.
In this context, former Egyptian international Ibrahim Saeed criticized the way Hossam Hassan managed the stars, saying that one of his biggest mistakes was his failure to understand the nature of the presence of a world-class player of Salah’s stature within the national team.
He pointed out, through his Facebook account, that dealing with the captain of the “Pharaohs” sometimes seemed like a new player required to prove himself, adding that the statements related to El-Shenawy and the accumulated disagreements reduced the circle of supporters for the coach’s continuation.
He believed that the crisis in the relationship with Salah may have contributed to the end reached by the technical staff, without this meaning that the player asked for his dismissal.
Ahmed Hossam “Mido” had also warned in September of the deteriorating situation, saying that things were “out of control,” and calling on officials to intervene. Hassan also faced a three-match suspension from FIFA, after criticizing the referee of the match against Argentina, which ended with Egypt’s exit from the World Cup.
The irony is that this end came after a period that witnessed notable successes since Hassan was appointed to succeed Portuguese Rui Vitoria in February 2024.
He led the national team to the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, before finishing fourth, and then secured qualification to the 2026 World Cup, as it passed the group stage after drawing with Belgium and Iran and beating New Zealand, before defeating Australia on penalties, then losing to Argentina 3-2 in the round of 16, despite leading by two goals.
Hassan returned from the World Cup to a huge public reception, and received an offer to extend his contract until 2030. He was also included among the candidates for the African Union Awards for the year 2026.
During 38 matches under his leadership, Egypt achieved 21 victories and 10 draws, compared to seven defeats.
After the dismissal, the Egyptian Federation chose Ali Maher, 52 years old, as the coach of Ceramica Cleopatra, who led his team to the Egyptian League Cup title in the 2024-2025 season and fourth place in the league. He will begin his mission by facing Malawi on November 13 and 17 in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where Egypt leads Group Two with four points, with the camp starting on the ninth of the same month.
