Egypt coach Hassan Shehata has no intention of handing in his resignation following the Pharaohs' 1-0 defeat by South Africa which dented their hopes of reaching next year's African Cup of Nations finals. There have been widespread calls to sack the highly-successful tactician after the stunning last-gasp loss left the seven-time African champions languishing at the bottom of Group G in the qualifiers with a sole point from three games. Egyptian Football Association (EFA) chairman Samir Zaher said he would hold a news conference on Thursday to discuss the latest slump. “I will remain in my post; I will not resign,” Shehata said in a television interview on Tuesday, three days after Egypt's first-ever defeat to the Bafana Bafana. “I will only leave if the EFA decides to dispense with me. I already have other offers which are financially rewarding, including one with a monthly salary of $80,000. Those offers could have tempted other coaches to jump ship.” Shehata was criticized by local media for relying on a cautious strategy which failed to pay dividends at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. Egypt appeared toothless and hardly threatened the hosts, who claimed all three points after striker Katlego Mphela capitalized on a defensive lapse to notch home three minutes into stoppage time. ‘Many changes' Shehata admitted that Egypt are facing an uphill climb to avoid the unthinkable prospect of missing out on the tournament they won in 2006, 2008 and 2010 under his guidance. The winners of the 11 groups in the qualifiers and the best two second-placed teams will secure passage to next year's Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Egypt are six points adrift of Group G leaders South Africa and five behind second-placed Niger with three matches remaining. “Our hope is faint, but the least we can do is to bag 10 points come the end of the qualifiers,” the 61-year-old boss added. Shehata, who has managed Egypt since succeeding Italian coach Marco Tardelli in early 2004, said he would make many changes to Egypt's squad if he remained at the helm. “I intend to make many changes if I stay. I have already decided to promote seven players from Egypt's youth teams,” he said. Shehata is arguably considered the best coach in Africa, having guided Egypt to an unprecedented three consecutive Nations Cup triumphs. However, he couldn't help the team end their World Cup jinx after they failed to win a place at last year's tournament following a nail-biting race with North African rivals Algeria.
