CAIRO - Egypt's Olympic football team coach Hani Ramzi expressed his optimism about the country's draw in the 2012 Olympic Games qualifiers that were announced Saturday. Egypt have been drawn against Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa and Gabon in Group A in the 2012 Olympic Games qualifiers. "The draw is balanced for the team," Ramzi said, pointing out that the coaching staff will start collecting data about the other three teams. Hani expressed his optimistic about the Pharaohs' chances of qualifying for the London Olympics. "I have full confidence in the players' abilities to do it," he stressed. In Group B, Morocco and Algeria, Nigeria and Senegal have been drawn together. "The North and West African teams, are all are strong and we must prepare well for them," Ramzi commented, denying that it will be a cakewalk, as they all play good soccer. "The technical standard of all the teams is very similar.” The Pharaohs will kick off against Gabon on November 26th, before meeting Côte d'Ivoire on November 29th and then South Africa on December 2nd. Egypt, who have not qualified for the Olympic Games since 1992, will host the tournament that runs from 26 November to 10 December. Fathi Nosseir, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) technical manager, said that the draw is suitable for Egypt, expecting that the national team will qualify for London. "Although all the teams are strong, I am optimistic about the Pharaohs' chances," he stressed. The first two teams of each group will qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, while the two finalists automatically go through to the London Olympics, along with the winner of the third-place playoff.
