The board members of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have appointed Argentinean Héctor Cúper as the new coach of the Egyptian national team, replacing Egyptian coach Shawki Gharib. During the council meeting on Monday, the board, headed by Gamal Allam, said it expected Cúper to arrive in Cairo within hours. Cúper was a former Argentine footballer, playing as a defender. The 59-year-old started his coaching career with Huracán from 1993-1995. He reached two UEFA Champions League finals with Valencia, 1999-2000, although he lost on both occasions. Gharib failed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the third time in a row Egypt failed to enter the tournament even though Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup's history with seven titles. Cúper was a surprise announcement given that former team boss Hassan Shehata was widely tipped. Shehata won a record three successive Africa Nations Cup titles starting from 2006. Talks with Frenchman Herve Renard, the coach of the winning 2015 African team Ivory Coast, broke down over the salary. Cúper is Egypt's first coach from Argentina. His first test will soon come when the qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Nations Cup start in June this year. The draw for the qualification stage of the 2017 edition will take place on 8 April 2015 immediately after the announcement of the host nation.
