A player's religion plays no part in being selected as a member of the country's football team. However, good manners, skills and commitment to rules are considered in the selection process, an Egyptian diplomat in Italy said on Saturday. "Being a Unslim, or a Christian are not standards for choosing players of the national squad," said Egypt's Ambassador in Rome Hatem Abdul Kader. His comments came as a reply to a report carried out by an Italian newspaper alleging that the coach of the Egyptian team, Hassan Shehata, considers only those players who observe Islam. "This is baseless. We have players and coaches in Egypt who have other religions," Abdul kader told the Italian News Agency (AKI). Six time winners of the African Cup of Nations, the Egyptian football team are now defending their title in Angola, where they played a match against Mozambique last night. (Results and analysis of the match can be found on "http://www.egyptiangazett.net" ). "Yes, there are not Christians in the Egyptian squad now. However, we had them before and there is no obstacle for any of them to join the team," the ambassador said. Shehata was quoted by Cairo newspapers as saying skill alone won't guarantee anyone a place on the national team. He said "pious behaviour'' was a major reason for selection. "Without it, we will never select any player regardless of his potential,'' he said. "I always strive to make sure that those who wear the Egypt jersey are on good terms with God.'' Ayman Younis, a member of the Egyptian Football Association, said that Shehata was referring to a Zamalek player, who was excluded from the squad after an initial selection. "Shehata's comments were taken out of context. While he meant a certain player, the press generalised his talk," Younis said. He stressed the point that the coach meant behaviour, and not religion. One newspaper, the independent al-Shorouk, quoted Shehata as saying that striker Ahmed "Mido,'' on loan from England's Middlesbrough team to Cairo's Zamalek, was cut four days after his initial selection because he did not fit the manager's prerequisite for piety. The move last month came as a surprise because Egypt was already missing injured striker Amr Zaki, formerly with Wigan Football club in England, and attacking midfielder Mohamed Abu Treika. Mido, who enjoys a reputation for hard partying, said he was insulted by his exclusion. Shehata, a former Egypt international best remembered for his midfield creativity, has made no secret of the role religion plays in his coaching style. He is often seen by millions of fans and TV viewers praying during games, and asks supporters to pray for the national side. Egypt began its title defence on Tuesday with an emphatic, come-from-behind 3-1 win over World Cup qualifier Nigeria. Egypt failed to qualify for this year's World Cup finals in South Africa, losing to Algeria 1-0 in a make-or-break decider. Egypt last qualified to the World Cup in 1990.
