The Egypt Football Association (EFA) is convening to appoint an Egyptian manager to succeed former coach Hassan Shehata in leading the first national team after Portuguese Vingada refused to take the lead. “We are close to assigning an Egyptian staffer to be in charge of the national team, after Vingada's refusal,” EFA official announcer Azmy Megahed announced on the association's website on Sunday. The 58-year-old Portuguese tactician was close to leading the team as the president of the EFA Samir Zaher revealed. In an interview published in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram last week, he had stated that Vingada will succeed Hassan Shehata to helm the Pharaohs. Vingada signed with the China Football Association to lead their national team for a huge fee -- 80,000 euro -- the EFA announced on Sunday. The EFA placed their confidence in the Portuguese tactician as he has a vast experience with Egyptian football, having managed Cairo giants Zamalek and Egypt's Olympic team. He was also named as Ahly's coach in 2009 but abruptly departed before playing any game citing personal reasons. Shehata was sacked from leading Egypt after failing to qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations following a goalless draw at home to South Africa last June. The Pharaohs are at the bottom of Group C with two points from four games and they still have two meaningless matches in hand against Sierra Leone and Niger.
