CAIRO - Diaa el-Sayyed, the general coach of Egypt's senior football team, expressed his satisfaction that Sudan agreed to host the Pharaohs' training camp when Morocco cancelled it in the last minute. He stressed that Sudan rescued the team's final preparation camp prior to the 2013 ACN qualifiers and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in June. El-Sayyed explained that the coaching staff was now putting the basic line-up of the team together. "We have decided on the 14 players for the ACN and 2014 World Cup qualifiers," El-Sayyed said, pointing out that the final line-up for the forthcoming official matches would be decided after the Sudan camp. Egypt's senior football team led by Bob Bradley arrived yesterday in Sudan for an eight-day preparation camp, during which they will play three friendlies with Cameroon, Togo and Senegal, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. "The team will play against Cameroon May 20, Togo on May 22 and Senegal on May 25," the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) wrote on its website. The senior Egyptian team will start their 2014 World Cup qualifiers on June 1 by hosting Mozambique. On June 8, they will play their second group game against Guinea away from home before facing Central Africa in the ACN qualifiers mid-June. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced that the security authorities had decided that the match with Mozambique on June 1 in Borg al-Arab Stadium had to be played behind closed doors. The Pharaohs were drawn in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers alongside Guinea, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Last month, the Pharaohs held a preparation camp in Dubai from April 10 to 18, during which they played friendlies with Nigeria, Mauritania and Iraq. Earlier the team held a four-day preparation camp in Sudan, during which they played two friendlies with Uganda and Chad. The Pharaohs stunned Chad with 4-0, thanks to a goal by Mohamed Salah in the 30th minute, a powerful Ahmed Khairy header in the 44th minute and a strike by Ahmed Hassan Mekki on 90 minutes. Chad defender Hassan Hussein also helped the Egyptian cause with an own goal in the 88th minute. Prior to this, the Pharaohs defeated Uganda with 2-1, thanks to goals by Olympic player Mohamed Salah and Ahly playmaker Abou-Treika. El-Sayyed explained that the unusual conditions in the country after the Port Said tragedy, which led to the cancellation of the Premier League, forced the coaching staff to hold preparation camps and play friendlies in Qatar, Sudan and the UAE. The purpose od theses outer camps is for the Pharaohs to get ready for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and the 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifiers next June.
