Coach Mohsen Saleh believes selecting players new to the national team is a risk well worth taking, reports Nashwa Abdel-Tawab Click to view caption Egypt's new national football team coach Mohsen Saleh announced what to many was a surprising line-up, filled they say, with new inexperienced faces. But not for the first time has Saleh experimented with the untried and proved the doom forecasters wrong. In 1995, Saleh brought in five newcomers to the national team: Samir Kamouna, Yasser Radwan, Tareq Fahim, Ahmed Nakhla and Tareq El-Ashri. The first three are still on the team. Saleh returns for another stint with the side, appointed almost a month ago. Not surprisingly, his choice of a team has a new look to it. "I will try to give a chance to all players," Saleh told the Weekly, "irrespective of who plays where, whether here or abroad. We have a group of excellent young players." The 20-man squad, which met for its first training session on Friday, includes 15 players who have never worn the national jersey before: Goalkeepers: Nader El-Sayed (Goldi), Tareq Suliman (Arab Contractors) and Youssef Taher (Ittihad). From Ismaili, the club Saleh led to the league title this season, he was partial, choosing Islam El-Shater, Mohamed Barakat, Sayed Moawad, Amr Fahim, Emad El-Nahhas and Khamis Gaafar. Picked from Ghazl Al-Mehalla was Ikrami Abdel-Aziz and Hesham El-Sherbini. From the Arab Contractors comes Sameh Abdel-Ghani, Rami Adel and Mahmoud Shiko. Saleh gave lower rung clubs representation, deciding on Ahmed Khalaf and Moataz Hamed from Sohag, Amr El- Dessouqi from Misri, Youssef Hamdi from Ittihad, Hani Kamel from Ghazl Al-Suez and Sayed Abdel-Naim from newly- promoted Enpi. Not all are expected to make the final cut, especially after Saleh excluded players from Zamalek, Ahli and the Olympic team because of scheduling fixtures. At a date still to be determined, he will trim the team down but newcomers are still expected to have a big say in the final version. Wasn't it risky selecting so many inexperienced players? "Of course it is but I like to take risks because I believe in picking a team that represents Egyptians, not special areas in Egypt," said Saleh. "I know the players well. It's my job. I'm not a coach coming from nowhere and going nowhere. I have a sense of direction, which is towards victory. But I didn't see that with the current crop. "We made big names and we can make others. The problem is to look for them and give them a chance. In brief, I'm a coach who can spot talent, give players a chance to prove themselves, build a collective team from this pool of talent, formulate plans and win." He added that the team would not be taking players over 30. "This is non-negotiable. They won't be quick or strong enough. This is for the good of the team. I'm not against their history. I like them very much but it's a general policy I've agreed on it with the federation. Thirty-something players won't be able to give the team 100 per cent." In contrast to previous years, league matches will not come to a complete standstill when the national team plays. Only a few days will be taken off before a national team match. Training will be held every two weeks in agreement with the clubs and the federation to guarantee harmony. As for those playing abroad, they will be welcomed to the team only if they are playing well with their clubs and doing so on a regular basis. Players who are either injured or are not morally upright or are in dispute with their clubs will not be allowed on board. "Soccer is loved passionately by Egyptians. The players should understand this and show their gratitude. No more fun. It's a serious mission." Saleh's assistants include Salah Hosni as team manager, Maher Hammam and Ashraf Qassem as assistant coaches and Ibrahim Riad for goalkeepers. The first test comes on 7 September when the side meets Madagascar at the start of qualifications for the African Nations Cup. Saleh, 53, was a midfielder for Ahli in the 1970s, one of the club's best eras. As a player, he helped guide Ahli to the league and cup double three consecutive years starting in 1975. He later coached Ahli's juniors for a year before moving to Port Fouad, then to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman in various stints from 1980 to 1992. During that time, he led Saudi Arabia's Al-Watani to the league championship in 1987. Saleh, who managed to secure the league title for Ismaili following a 10-season hiatus, takes over four months following the end of Mahmoud El-Gohari's tenure which came to a halt after the 2002 African Nations Cup in Mali. Saleh's contract ends following the 2004 African Nations Cup. "Coaching the national team is a great honour for anybody," Saleh said and urged the media to "stop jumping to conclusions before all is said and done".
