After losing to the Ivory Coast, which effectively closed the door on Egypt's bid to play in next year's World Cup in Germany, the team was forced to downgrade ambitions and lower expectations. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports on the changes sought in the Egyptian Football Association following the failure for a World Cup appearance "The fans are frustrated," said Egyptian Football Association (EFA) President Samir Zaher. "We have to win the African Nations Cup to give spectators and Egypt something. We have to make some changes." The changes did not include Egypt's head coach, Hassan Shehata. The fuss was over Shehata's assistants and future preparations for the African Nations Cup (ANC) to be held in Cairo from 20 January to 14 February 2006. Shehata insisted his men stay at least until the end of the ANC. "Of course there were disagreements on some issues. That's only normal but they never crossed the line. We are one family, all working for the country's glory. Difference in opinion is limited to technical issues." Shehata's aides are Shawqi Ghareeb, Hamada Sidki, Ahmed Suleiman and Samir Adli. Ahmed Shobeir, EFA vice-president, criticised the team after the 2-0 loss to the Ivory Coast which effectively ended any hopes of qualifying for the World Cup, and asked for the resignation of Shehata's assistants. "There were some problems among the board of directors and we want the best for the team because the EFA is responsible for the results," Shobeir said. Shobeir also highlighted what he thought was a poor preparation plan. "It's ridiculous to play Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as preparation matches for the ANC," Shobeir said. "They are of different football schools." Shehata, on the other hand, sees every international game a gain, believing that any match is an opportunity for the team to harmonise and also to give locally-based players more experience. "Any Asian or European country is good contact for the team even if they are of different schools," said Shehata. "The players have to meet a lot to try out some plans and tactics, especially since many of them do not have the chance to become pros in European countries." Zaher has been trying to mediate between Shehata and Shobeir, supporting Shehata's decision to keep the board of directors unchanged but also siding with Shobeir's criticism of the preparation plans. It was decided in the end that the national team will be under the regular supervision of the EFA in the decision-making process. Shehata said he was satisfied. "Of course playing strong teams will add to the effectiveness of our preparation for the ANC since any loss on our home ground will be disgraceful. "After the draw, we will know our group and plan accordingly," Shehata added. The teams expected to participate are Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal. "Concentrating on only Africa [for preparation] is encouraging since the Africans have made great leaps in performance," Shehata said. As the schedule now stands, Egypt will play a friendly match against Euro 2004 finalists Portugal on 17 August. Ghareeb told BBC Sport that the Pharaohs will also take part in a four-nation tournament in Switzerland beginning tomorrow. Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are the participants. Training began on 24 July. This is in addition to the last two World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Cameroon in October and September, which are now basically meaningless. Egypt is also scheduled to play a reputable country marking the re-inauguration of Cairo Stadium on 16 November after almost two years of refurbishment. The name of the team has yet to be announced. Shehata warned that his team was not for just some players. "Of course there is the basic players of the team that I can't scratch out but there's still some talent that I can include to strengthen the squad." Against the Ivory Coast, Abdel-Halim Ali, Emad El-Nahhas, Wa'el Gomaa and Beshir El-Tabei were booked. The last two will not play against Benin. A fair play committee will decide next week on sanctions or fines to be administered. The bookings however were not violent-related. "The players were simply over-enthusiastic." He also didn't mind their absence against Benin. "We're playing to prepare, not to win." The 55-year-old Shehata guided Egypt's under-20s to the 2003 African Youth Championship and then to the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championship later that year in the Emirates. Shehata took training courses in Egypt, Romania, Brazil and England after retiring in 1983. He trained youth teams, Arab clubs before landing the plum national team, replacing the Italian Marco Tardelli. Shehata as coach is best known for capturing the Egyptian Cup and Egyptian Super Cup last season with second division side the Arab Contractors. As a manager he promoted Menia, Sharqiya and Suez to the first division three successive seasons. As a player, Shehata was two times the Egyptian league's best player in the seventies and third best African footballer of the year in 1974 as selected by the magazine France Football. He remains the only player to win Best Footballer in Asia, 1970 -- when he played in Kuwait, and the African Cup, also in 1974. He was awarded the Egyptian Merit of Sport in 1980.
