Egypt revels in new generation

CAIRO: Many of Egypt’s footballers were not even born when the Pharaohs last played in a World Cup, but the new generation of young stars have steered them to Russia 2018.

Mohamed Salah, Ramadan Sobhi, and Ahmed Hegazy — all 26 or under — helped end Egypt’s 28-year wait by beating Congo 2-1 on Sunday, catapulting them back on to football’s biggest stage.

Salah is the Pharaohs’ star man known for agility and speed.

“Mohamed Salah is the most important player of the team,” said Khaled Baioumy, a sports columnist and a regular guest on television sports programmes.

“The quality of the current team is comparable to that of Western teams. Qualifying for the World Cup attests to that, but the competition will be very tough,” said Baioumy.

Trained by Argentinean coach Hector Cuper, the team excelled at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, losing in the February final to Cameroon after a seven-year absence from the competition.

Standout 20-year-old Ramadan Sobhi is developing at Premier League side Stoke City, while Mahmoud Hassan, 23, and Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim, 23, known as Kahraba — “electricity ” in Arabic — have also shone in recent matches.

However, the team will face tougher challenges next year in Russia, according to Karim Said, a sports analyst and managing editor of the football website Yallakora.

“To face teams of that quality is totally different from facing African teams,” he said, adding the new generation must prove they can form a solid team with a good understanding on the pitch.

Egypt’s previous greats, such as Mohamed Aboutrika and Mohamed Barakat, knew each other well having played together for the same club in Cairo, Al Ahly.

But Said warned the current crop of young players, with 44year-old captain Essam El Hadary in goal, could face communication problems because they play for different teams across Egypt, Europe, and the Gulf.

“The current team does not come from the same club, there is diversity, they are not together,” he said.

“And playing among a national selection is completely different from playing in a club where contact is constant.” AFP