What at first appeared to be a harmless photo op with a young fan in a Dallas hotel lobby suddenly turned into a violent confrontation.
On Thursday, an Egyptian player was posing for a photo op with a fan when a Dallas police officer approached and touched an Egyptian staffer on the shoulder.
It’s unclear what happened next, but the situation suddenly and violently escalated into a shoving match that saw the officer screaming, “Back off! Back off! Back off!”
Another Egyptian staffer attempted to intervene, but the situation only escalated as another officer got involved.
After the incident, it was revealed that the staffer at the center of the scuffle was Ibrahim Hossan, brother of Egyptian head coach Hossam Hassan.
“The fans were eager to take commemorative photos with the players, but security intervened aggressively. This angered Hassan, who stepped in to object to their harsh demeanor.”
Egypt faces Australia in their Round of 32 matchup in Dallas on Friday.