CAIRO - The success of the friendly Nile Basin tournament, organised by Egypt to bridge the gap with other Nile Basin countries, has prompted the head of the Egyptian National Sports Council (NSC) to consider the idea of establishing a Nile Basin Association to increase co-operation among the nine Basin countries. Hassan Saqr, the head of Egypt's governmental National Sports Council (NSC), is delighted by the success of the 2011 Nile Basin Tournament that ended Monday and was organised in association with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), promising to increase co-operation among the Nile Basin countries with more sports activities. "We welcome all Nile Basin countries wholeheartedly," Saqr told the Nile Basin delegations in Cairo, adding that Egypt would not hesitate to support any project that can help these countries to advance, including sporting, technical and financial projects. The tournament, hosted by Egypt from January 5 to 17, drew the participation of seven African national teams hosts Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sudan had asked not to be drawn with Uganda, as they will meet each other in the ACN qualifiers later this year. The tournament was played under the slogan “No to Terrorism”, while the opening ceremony was cancelled on New Year Eve after the tragic bombing outside the Qiddesein Church in Alexandria, that claimed 23 lives and left about 100 other people injured. "Establishing a football federation for Nile Basin countries would be a good idea, but it would be difficult for a number of reasons," Saqr explained. The tournament has had both political and technical benefits. The Pharaohs' technical coach, Hassan Shehata, used it to get the national team ready for the forthcoming, crucial African Cup of Nations (ACN) qualifier against South Africa in March. Last May, Egypt refused a conterversial treaty on sharing the Nile waters, signed by some riparian countries. Egypt has recently embarked on diplomatic efforts to iron out the dispute. Saqr stressed that the friendly tourney was just as important as any official event. 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. "We used 23 different players in the tourney, giving a chance to some key elements who were back from injury, as well as allowing the new bloods to show their mettle," Shehata added. The coach stressed that the Pharaohs, who are in tenth spot in FIFA's latest rankings, are determined to give the Egyptian fans something to be happy about. "What we're concentrating on now is the future. Our target is to qualify for the Gabon and Equatorial Guinea ACN in 2012. This would really make the fans happy.” Shawqi Gharib, the coach of the national team, was also pleased at the way the Pharaohs acquitted themselves in the recent tourney, but stressed we need more to guarantee qualification for the ACN next year. “We shouldn't be deceived by the results, as we still have mistakes we need to work on," stressed Gharib, adding that the Nile Basin Tournament has been the longest preparation for the national team since last September. "This tourney was a good chance for us, with many benefits. We tried out many new players in several positions, giving us more depth, in case we have any shortages in the future," he explained. Egypt, who have now won the ACN a record three times in a row, still have a good chance of qualifying, providing, of course, that they win their forthcoming qualifiers. “The USA friendly next month will also help us prepare for the big clash in South Africa in March. Winning friendly games is good for us for two reasons. Firstly, it raises the morale of the players; secondly, it allows us [the coaching staff] to try out different technical strategies and experiment with players in different positions,” said Gharib. He added that the near future would witness the return of some key players such as Essam el-Hadari, who will be available for the match against South Africa.
