Was Egypt exit down to poor foreign policy?

EGYPT had rotten luck with the injury to Mohamed Salah but, even so, they would have expected to win at least one game at their first World Cup since 1990. The loss to Saudi Arabia occasioned the resignation of coach Hector Cuper. Yet why was he there in the first place? Egypt are not a backwater in football terms. They are the most successful country in the Africa Cup of Nations, the most successful country in the Pan-Arabic Games. An Egyptian club has been in the final of Africa’s Champions League on four of the last six occasions, and Al Ahly have won eight African titles — the most of any club on the continent. Zamalek, also Egyptian, share second place with five. So why isn’t an Egyptian the national coach? Why isn’t, say, Hossam El-Badry, who between 2016 and 2018 won the Premier League twice, the Egypt Cup, the Super Cup and CAF Champions League with Al Ahly not trusted to be where Cuper was? It has been a poor World Cup for African teams. Egypt and Morocco finished bottom of their groups, Tunisia were out after two games, Nigeria lost two of three matches, Senegal could not get ahead of Japan. Yet many countries on the continent continue to make Europeans or South Americans the national coach. The idea is that foreigners are more sophisticated. The results suggest they are not.