Egypt coach Bradley distances himself from Ahly players row

Egypt coach Bob Bradley says he has nothing to do with Ahly's refusal to release their players for international duty

Egypt coach Bob Bradley has distanced himself from the row surrounding Ahly's refusal to release their players for international duty, according to his assistant Diaa El-Sayed.
The Pharaohs are planning to play two friendly games early next month during the Egyptian Premier League's stoppage but Ahly said their players would not be available, given that the matches are not included in FIFA's international calendar.
“Bradley does not want to comment on that matter, but he is determined to hold that camp,” El-Sayed, who was Egypt's U-20 coach during the World Cup earlier this year, said on Tuesday.
“The technical staff is not responsible over whether a player fulfils the call-up to the national team or not. The Egyptian Football Association is the party that speaks to the clubs.
“The EFA takes the appropriate measures when a club refuses to release its players. The technical staff have nothing to do with that,” he added.
The fate of the camp remains unclear, however, due to the ongoing political turmoil in the country, with hundreds of thousands protesting against Egypt's military rulers in Tahrir Square.
Six players were included in Egypt's squad when the team slumped to a 2-0 defeat by five-time world champions Brazil in Bradley's debut earlier this month.
Bradley took over at the seven-time African champions following the departure of highly-successful boss Hassan Shehata, who was shown the door after Egypt shockingly failed to qualify for next year's Nations Cup finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.