CAIRO - Egypt's goalkeeper Essam el-Hadari, who has been transferred to Al-Merrikh of Sudan, flew Sunday to Sudan to join the team after he was excluded from Egypt's squad, due to his four-month ban from FIFA after moving to Sion of Switzerland in 2008 without his former club Ahly's approval. El-Hadari signed for the Sudanese club last month, leaving Zamalek, while his compatriot, coach Hossam el-Badri, has left his favourite club, Ahly, also to join Al-Merrikh. Egypt's coach Hasan Shehata late on Saturday announced his team list without el-Hadari, as FIFA refuses to let the goalie play, even in a friendly tournament. Egypt will host the Nile Basin States tournament, which begins on Wednesday and runs until January 17. The tournament consists of two groups with seven teams: Group A includes Egypt, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi, while Group B features Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This tournament will help the Pharaohs prepare for their African Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in March. The Pharaohs have only one point so far in the ACN qualifiers, having been unexpectedly beaten 1-0 by Niger, after drawing with Sierra Leone 1-1 in Cairo last year. Egypt, who have won this tournament a record three times in a row, still have a good chance of qualifying, providing, of course, that they win their forthcoming qualifiers.
Egypt's squad: Goalkeepers: Abdel-Wahed el-Sayyed, Mohamed Sobhi, Amir Abdel-Hamid. Defenders: Wael Gomaa, Mahmoud Fathallah, Mohamed Nagib, Sherif Hazem, Ahmed Samir Farag. Midfielders: Ahmed Fathi, Abdullah el-Shahat, Mohamed Abdel-Shafei, Hossam Ghali, Hosni Abd Rabou, Ibrahim Salah, Amr Al-Sulaya, Mohamed Abou Treika, Shikabala, Ahmed Eid, Walid Soliman, Abdullah Al-Saeed, Ayman Hefni. Strikers: Ahmed Nagui ‘Gedo', Ahmed Belal, Ahmed Ali, el-Sayyed Hamdi.
