CAIRO - Egypt's U-23 national team coach Hani Ramzi says that he has determined 90 per cent of the main line-up of the team, stressing that the Toulon Friendly International Tournament will help crystallise his choice, before they travel to London, to participate in the Olympic Games from July 27 to August 12. Last Thursday, the Young Pharaohs started a closed preparation camp in Cairo in readiness for the London Games. The camp will last until they travel to France in mid-May for the Toulon tournament. The Olympic team will play in the Toulon Friendly International Tournament from May 22 to June 3, with the participation of the Olympics teams from the Netherlands, Turkey, Japan, Belarus, Mexico, Morocco, France and, of course, Egypt. The Egyptian team have been drawn in Group A, alongside Japan, the Netherlands and Turkey. Ramzi has expressed his satisfaction with the draw for the London Olympics, held in Wembley Stadium in London at the end of last month, stressing that Egypt's group is really balanced, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. "Our group is really balanced, as playing big teams like Brazil is enjoyable and entertaining for players and coaches alike," he said. Ramzi added that he will study videos of the games of the other teams, in order to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. The Young Pharaohs are tied with Brazil, Belarus, and New Zealand in Group C. “We should not underestimate teams like Belarus, who have some great footballers, and New Zealand, whose style is like Australia's,” MENA quoted Ramzi as saying. The Pharaohs have qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time since 1992, while Ramzi fully appreciates the daunting task facing him and his players. “Despite the cancellation of the Premier League and the difficulties this country is facing, we are determined to continue the training and camps abroad and at home, so the players will be fit and tactically prepared for London,” he explained. Earlier last month, Egypt's U-23 team held a preparation camp in Costa Rica, during which they played a friendly against Costa Rica Olympic team, winning 1-0, thanks to a goal by striker Ahmed Shoreida in the first half. They also played a friendly against Uruguay in the capital, Montevideo, which ended in a goalless draw. Prior to that, the Egyptian Olympic team defeated FC Basel of Switzerland 4-3 in a friendly, courtesy of goals by Mohamed el-Nini, Mohamed Salah (two) and Marwan Mohssen. The Young Pharaohs have played many friendlies ��" they even defeated the Pharaohs' senior team 2-1 earlier this month. Before that, they had suffered a 3-1 defeat against the 2011 European champions Spain in a friendly on February 29 in Madrid. Ramzi explained that the main aim of playing friendlies is to give the lads more experience in anticipation of the official games. “Of course, we want to get in good shape, so that we can put on a good show in London,” he added, stressing that the Olympic team will hold a final preparation camp in Germany from July 12 to 22, after participating in the Arab Football Cup. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA), headed by Anwar Saleh, has decided to enter Egypt's Olympic national team instead of the senior national team for the Arab Football Cup in Jeddah and Al-Taif from June 22 to July 4. The coaching staff of the Y-Pharaohs are pleased with the EFA decision, as it is a great opportunity to play more friendlies in readiness for the Olympic Games. Egypt's Olympic team was drawn into Group C along with Iraq, Sudan and Lebanon. Group A includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Arab Emirates and Palestine, while Group B includes Libya, Bahrain, Morocco and Yemen. Each team will receive $200,000, with the winners picking up $1 million and the runners-up $600,000. Ramzi stressed that playing Brazil in the first match of the Games will give the players a huge boost. Brazil won Olympic silver in 1984 and 1988, while picking up bronze in 1996. Egypt will face Brazil on July 26 in Cardiff, followed by New Zealand on July 29 in Manchester and then Belarus on August 1 in Glasgow. “The cancellation of the Premier League 2011-12 season, as well as the Martyrs' Cup and the Egypt Cup, have made matters more difficult for coaching staff anxious to keep their players in tip-top condition,” commented Ramzi. On February 1, in the coastal city of Port Said, an Egyptian Premier League match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly turned violent, claiming the lives of at least 74 Ahly fans and injuring around 1,000 more. As a result, in early March, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) cancelled the Premier League 2011-12 season, and the Martyrs' Cup and Egypt Cup, after Al-Ahly Ultras groups threatened to cause trouble in the stadiums, if the tournament and the Egypt Cup went ahead before the perpetrators of the massacre in Port Said were punished. “It has been difficult for us to play friendly matches in Egypt in order to prepare well. That's why we've been holding preparation camps and playing friendlies abroad. But the players are getting tired because of this,” Ramzi told the BBC in Arabic. He said that the Young Pharaohs will fight hard to do well in London, something they are very capable of. According to reports, they will face Great Britain in a friendly in London on June 16, in preparation for the Olympic Games. Ramzi recently announced that he might include two key players from the senior national team Ahly rightwinger Ahmed Fathi and Zamalek playmaker Mahmoud Abdel-Razeq 'Shikaballah' (Shika) in the Olympic squad.
Egypt's senior general coach: Egypt, Brazil will qualify for next round Diaa el-Sayyed, the general coach of Egypt's senior football team, said he expects that Egypt and Brazil will qualify for the second round of the Olympic Games. "Egypt's group at the Olympics reminds me of Egypt's youth team group in the 2011 World Cup, in Colombia, which also included Brazil," added el-Sayyed, the ex-coach of Egypt's U-20 team. "Everyone was scared, because we landed in the same group as Brazil, but with the grace of God we did well and qualified for the next round with Brazil," he told Yallakora.com, adding that he expects the Young Pharaohs and Brazil to qualify for the second round in the Olympics. Fixtures for the London 2012 Olympic soccer tournament, Men's Groups, according to Reuters: Men's Groups: Group A: Great Britain, Senegal, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay Group B: Mexico, South Korea, Gabon, Switzerland Group C: Brazil, Egypt, Belarus, New Zealand Group D: Spain, Japan, Honduras, Morocco Note: The top two teams from each group go through to the quarter-finals. Thursday, July 26 Group D Spain v Japan (11:00) Honduras v Morocco (13:45) Group B Mexico v South Korea (13:30) Gabon v Switzerland (16:15) Group A UAE v Uruguay (16:00) Britain v Senegal (18:45) Group C Brazil v Egypt, Cardiff (18:45) Belarus v New Zealand (18:45) Sunday, July 29 Group C Brazil v Belarus (11:00) Egypt v New Zealand (13:45) Group B Mexico v Gabon (13:30) South Korea v Switzerland (16:15) Group A Senegal v Uruguay (16:00) Britain v UAE (18:45) Group D Spain v Honduras (16:00) Japan v Morocco (18:45) Wednesday, August 1 Group C Egypt v Belarus (13:30) Brazil v New Zealand (13:30) Group D Spain v Morocco (16:00) Japan v Honduras (16:00) Group B Mexico v Switzerland (16:00) South Korea v Gabon (16:00) Group A Senegal v UAE (18:45) Britain v Uruguay (18:45) Quarter-finals: Saturday, August 4 25: First Group D v Second Group C (11:00) 26: First Group B v Second Group A (13:30) 27: First Group C v Second Group D (16:00) 28: First Group A v Second Group B (18:30) Semi-finals: Tuesday, August 7 Winner match 26 v Winner match 25, (16:00) Winner match 28 v Winner match 27, (18:45) Third-place playoff: Friday, August 10 (18:45) Final: Saturday, August 11 (14:00)
