CAIRO: Egypt has opted out of a friendly match against 5-time World Cup champions Brazil, the Brazilian Football Confederation said on Thursday. The match, which would have been played on September 6, comes as Egypt is currently searching for a new national team manager and also finds its chances of qualifying to defend its African Cup of Nations title in jeopardy. Former US coach Bob Bradley is top of the list, but according to sources, he is looking for more money than the $683,000 being offered to take over the reigns of Africa's top nation. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) cited qualification matches as the reason for not accepting the match with Brazil. Egypt, whose hopes of qualifying for next year's Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are grim at best, will face Sierra Leone in a qualifier early in September. They have to win that match and hope for results elsewhere. Egypt last played the South American giants in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, where they lost 4-3, which included a last minute penalty. BM
