Egyptian Football Association chairman Hany Abo Rida has reassured that he desires to keep Argentinean coach Hector Cuper at the helm of the Pharaohs beyond the 2018 World Cup, which will kick off in Russia in June. "I hope that Cuper will remain at his post after the World Cup," Abo Rida said on Tuesday in a press conference held to announce the national team's preparatory programme for the World Cup. "After the first camp, we will meet with him to discuss the renewal unless he has another opinion," he added. In response to Abo Rida's comments, Cuper said "no, I don't have another opinion. We will meet after the two games with Portugal and Greece as we want to fully concentrate now on the camp in Switzerland." Cuper took over the Pharaohs in March 2015, leading Egypt to the final of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and reaching the 2018 World Cup finals to end a 28-year old drought. The 62-year-old tactician's contract expires in June, and he has been reportedly approached by teams in South America and Asia. Egypt have been placed in Group A of the World Cup along with hosts Russia, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The Pharaohs will hold two training camps ahead of football's most prestigious tournament. The first camp for the seven-time African Champions will be held in Switzerland from 20 to 28 March. They are due to play two friendly matches against Portugal and Greece on 23 and 27 March respectively. In the final training camp before the World Cup, Hector Cuper's men will first play Kuwait then Belgium. A third match will be against South American powerhouses Colombia on 1 June in Milan. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
