CAIRO - Egypt's U-23 technical coach Hani Ramzi is delighted that his side have qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games, after defeating Senegal 2-0 on Saturday night at the U-23 African Cup of Nations (ACN) third place play-off in Marrakech. He stressed that what's happened is really an achievement for this generation of players and for Egyptian football in general. “I'm very happy with what they have achieved, as the tournament was very tough, as I said at the beginning,” Ramzi said after the match, describing the Gabon team as a hard-hitting outfit. Egypt clinched the third place in the U-23 ACN and qualified to the 2012 London Olympics, while Gabon won the first CAF title. “I'm satisfied with the performance of most of the players in the championship,” explained Ramzi, adding that the team will go to the London Games in the hope of making a good impression and getting some good results. The tournament, the first edition of the U-23 ACN, served as the qualifying championship for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The Pharaohs, Morocco and Gabon have all qualified for London. "We have achieved what we wanted to, snatching all three points and qualifying for the Olympic Games," explained Ramzi, stressing that he is optimistic that the team can do something good for the country in the 2012 Games. “The players concentrated very hard for the Senegal match; they were well aware that they had to win to ensure a berth in the 2012 Olympic Games and make the fans happy," he pointed out. "We are happy with this victory and this new generation of Egyptian players will help build the new senior team in the near future," added Ramzi, pointing out that the team have achieved what they wanted in the U-23 ACN. He added that the players did exactly what the coaching staff told them to before the match. "Their passing of the ball was good, while they kept to their positions properly, allowing them to control midfield. The year 2011 has been a difficult one for Egypt but we end it with a smile," coach Ramzi told the BBC. "I would like to thank all 21 players who were here with us and I send my best wishes to all the Egyptian people. Everybody was sad when we didn't qualify for the ACN final but the London Games are something much bigger than the African title, so everybody is happy.” Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri sent a cable of greetings and congratulations to the Egyptian Olympic team after they succeeded in qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time since 1992. Ramzi pointed out that there will be some new players in the team's line-up for the Olympic Games. "Some of these players were absent from the U-23 ACN tournament due to injury," he explained. Tareq el-Said, the team's general coach, was just as happy with the win. “The main aim of the tournament was to qualify for the Olympic Games in London in 2012,” he stressed. The Egyptian team won the organising committee's Fair Play Award, while the same committee chose Egypt's goalkeeper Ahmed el-Shenawi, defender Moaz el-Henawi and midfielder Hossam Hassan as three of the ten best players in the U-23 CAF Championship.
