Egypt's legendary striker Hossam Hassan, now coach of Premier League club Masry, was banned for three matches and faces a legal complaint after assaulting a low-ranking policeman following the end of his team's final match of the season.

An ugly brawl erupted following Masry's 2-2 draw with relegated Ghazl El-Mahalla on Friday, which allowed Smouha to leapfrog the Port Said-based club into third spot to earn an automatic place at next year's African Confederation Cup - the continent's secondary club competition.

Hassan, Egypt's all-time leading scorer with 72 goals in 176 international matches, was caught on video running after the policeman, who was holding a camera, before punching him in the face after the latter had fallen to the ground.

"The Egyptian Football Association's competitions committee has decided to suspend Hossam Hassan for three matches and handed him an EGP10,000 fine over his unsporting behavior," the EFA said in a statement on its official website.

Local reports said that the policeman, who was not wearing an official uniform, is an interior ministry-affiliated photographer.

Hassan has also been summoned for a general prosecution hearing after the policeman, who said he suffered bruises due to the assault, had filed a legal complaint against him.

The 49-year-old has always been a controversial figure during a glorious spell as a striker for Egypt and Cairo duo Ahly and Zamalek.

He was banned several times for disciplinary reasons and was fired as Masry coach in 2008 after he and his twin brother Ibrahim Hassan, the club's football director, were involved in ugly scenes following a regional clash away to Algeria's JSM Bejaia.

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