AFCON
Peseiro’s former boss, Queiroz fortifies Egypt with three new players ahead of clash with Nigeria
Egyptian national team head coach Carlos Queiroz has decided to add three new players to the Pharaohs’ squad set to travel to take part in the 2022 AFCON in Cameroon next January.
Egypt will face Nigeria on 11 january in a Group D match. Egypt’s coach, Queiroz was the boss of Nigeria’s ‘observer coach’ at the Africa Cup of Nations, Jose Peseiro while both were with Real Marid in 2003-04.
Earlier this week, Queiroz has named his 25-man squad, which witnessed many surprises, including the calling-up of not fully fit Mahmoud Trezeguet and the exclusion of Al Ahly star Mohamed Magdy Afsha.
Despite the CAF allowing each team to take up to 28 players to the AFCON in case of COVID-19 cases or other injuries, Queiroz decided that 25 players are enough.
However, just days later, the Portuguese had a change of heart and decided to name three additional players to the travelling list, which included Egypt striker in the Arab Cup Marwan Hamdi and Pyramids FC duo of Mohamed Hamdi and Ibrahim Adel.
Hamdi, Zamalek loanee at Smouha, played every game in the latest Arab Cup, but was heavily criticised by the fans for his performances, which saw him score just once against Jordan in the quarter-finals.
The striker is however excelling on the club level, scoring four goals while providing a further assist in seven games with Smouha this season, averaging a goal every 155 minutes.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Hamdi and Ibrahim Adel were not called-up to the Arab Cup due to Pyramids’ participation in the CAF Confederation Cup; however, they both have international experience.
Linked with a return to Al Ahly next summer, Hamdi is a left-back, who has represented the Pharaohs on two occasions, most recently against Gabon last November under Carlos Queiroz.
Wonderkid Ibrahim Adel had also played under Carlos Queiroz in a 2-0 friendly victory over Liberia, which marked his first and only game for the Pharaohs.
After the trio have been added officially to the travelling list, the Egypt squad for the 2022 AFCON now look like this:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy (Al Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Pharco FC), Mohamed Abogabal (Zamalek), Mahmoud Gad (ENPPI).
Defenders: Ahmed Fatouh, Mahmoud Alaa, Mahmoud Hamdy El-Wensh (Zamalek), Ayman Ashraf, Akram Tawfik, (Al Ahly), Omar Kamal, Mohamed Abdel-Moneim (Future), Ahmed Hegazi (Ittihad Jeddah), Mohamed Hamdi (Pyramids).
Midfielders: Hamdi Fathi, Amr El-Sulya (Al Ahly), Emam Ashour, Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek), Abdallah El-Said, Ramadan Sobhi, Ibrahim Adel (Pyramids), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Omar Marmoush (VfB Stuttgart), Mohanad Lasheen (Tala’a El-Gaish), Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet (Aston Villa).
Forwards: Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray), Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly), Marwan Hamdi (Smouha).
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
CAF president Motsepe slams expanded FIFA Club World Cup
Anthony Joshua seeks world title and redemption against Dubois
Beckenbauer to have street named after him near Munich’s Allianz Arena
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
AFCON1 week agoAustin Eguavoen remains the ‘Big Boss’, says NFF
-
AFCON1 week agoRwanda newspaper gives 5 lessons gleaned from Rwanda-Nigeria clash
-
Nigerian Football1 week agoWesterhof recommends Siasia for Super Eagles’ job
-
AFCON1 week agoPresent and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen
-
CAF Confederation Cup1 week agoEnyimba continues unbeaten run against Burkina Faso clubs
-
AFCON4 days agoLibya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria
-
CAF Champions League1 week agoEnugu Rangers in slim CAF Champions League win over Angola’s Sagrada Esperanca
-
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week agoFalconets crash out from U-20 Women’s World Cup