The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) indicated on Friday that a new national team head coach will be announced soon. EFA board member Hazem Emam stated that the board have begun negotiations with several options including former manager Carlos Queiroz. Queiroz is one of the main candidates after parting ways with the Pharaohs earlier this year when the team were eliminated from 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying by Senegal. Former Pyramids FC manager Ehab Galal took over but was axed after only two months due to a disastrous 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying defeat to Ethiopia.
In related news, outspoken Zamalek SC chairman Mortada Mansour claimed that the resulting schedule congestion in Egyptian domestic football from Covid-19 has negatively impacted the national team’s fortunes. Due to the delay in carrying out fixtures due to Covid-19, the Egyptian Premier League and Egypt Cup competitions have been playing catch up which has caused a heavy toll on the players who have been forced to play more frequently. Mansour called for an end to the current season so there can be a period of rest before starting the next season in August, and also called for the boards of the EFA and Egyptian Premier League to resign.
Egyptian publication al-Ahram has more on the EFA’s coaching search as well as Mansour’s comments. The current Egyptian Premier League season is set to end on August 30 with the 2022-23 season set to kick off in October.