CAIRO: In a strange move, Egyptian national football team manager Hassan Shehata has somehow left the door slightly open for injury-prone Zamalek striker Amr Zaki to play in Egypt's must-win match against Rwanda next month in Kigali. According to reports, Zaki could recover from a foot injury that is supposed to have him sidelined through the match on September 6. Zaki suffered a foot injury in a league match this past Monday and is expected to be sidelined for at least one week. But, assistant manager Shawky Gharib has told Egypt's FilGoal.com that the international striker – who has yet to score this season – will train with the national side this weekend. “Scans showed that Zaki can fully recover within three days. He will join Egypt's training on Saturday,” said Hassan Shehata's assistant. Egyptians were pleased to hear the news on Thursday that their star striker may be fit for the Rwanda match, especialy considering Zami's scoring partner at Zamalek, famed Mido was not selected for the upcoming match, continuing his string of absences. Mohamed Zidan, who played spectacularly in South Africa over the summer at the Confederations Cup, is also missing from the roster after worries over his committment are being questioned. The Borussia Dortmund striker was dropped after he failed to turn up for a friendly against Guinea earlier this month without giving an excuse. Mido, who has joined Zamalek from English side Middlesbrough on a season-long loan, is still short of match fitness, sources argue. This will be Egypt will be forced to play the away match with several inexperienced strikers, including ENPPI's Ahmed Raouf and Petrojet's Al-Sayed Hamdi, who hope to show their talents in the stars' absence. The six-time African champions are second in Group 3 with four points, three behind leaders Algeria with three matches to be played. BM
