Egypt's national football team coach Hossam El-Badry has called four foreign based players currently overseas, including Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, for the upcoming closed camp ahead of facing Togo later in March. The Pharaohs will be facing Togo twice, on 26 and 29 March, in both the third and fourth rounds of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. According to a statement by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) Sunday, star winger Salah was called up for the Togo camp alongside West Bromwich's defender Ahmed Hegazi, winger Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan of Aston Villa and striker Ahmed 'Kouka' Hassan of Olympiacos FC. "The foreign based players will join the national team training camp on 23 March, three days ahead of the first match against Togo," the statement explained. Egypt are competing in Group G of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, placed third on the group's ranking with two points. The 59-year-old coach El-Badry has faced criticism due to the country's disappointing start in the AFCON qualifiers. The Pharaohs opened their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers campaign with a 1-1 draw to Kenya at Cairo International Stadium in November, followed by an away match against Comoros that ended in a goalless draw. Since El-Badry's appointment in September last year, Egypt has won two friendly matches, beating Botswana 1-0 in October before claiming a late 1-0 win over Liberia in early November. Egypt landed a tricky draw for the group phase of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, thrown into Group F along with Gabon, Libya and Angola. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
