Egypt will appoint a foreign coach to replace Shawky Gharib who was sacked following their failure to reach the African Cup of Nations, the country's football association announced on Tuesday. The perennial football debate over who is more suitable for the national team - a foreign or an Egyptian coach - resurfaced after the Pharaohs set an unwanted record of failing to qualify for the Nations Cup three times in a row. "The EFA board has decided that Egypt's next coach will be a foreigner," the governing body said in a statement on its official website. "A six-man committee which includes the EFA chairman and vice-chairman is tasked with choosing the new manager from a six-man shortlist." Twenty foreign managers have coached Egypt but had little success despite the team's glorious history in Africa. Egypt won a record seven Nations Cup titles but only two came under the guidance of foreign coaches – Hungary's Pal Titkos in 1959 and British Mike Smith in 1986. They became the first African team to qualify for the World Cup when they reached the 1934 edition in Italy under Scottish manager James McCrae. Egypt's last foreign boss was American Bob Bradley, under whom Egypt stumbled at the last hurdle in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers after a humiliating 7-3 aggregate defeat by Ghana in a two-legged playoff. (For more sports news andupdates, follow AhramOnlineSports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand onFacebookatAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/118683.aspx
