CAIRO - Bob Bradley, the technical coach of Egypt's senior team, expressed his optimism about the Pharaohs' chances to make it to the 2014 World Cup, due to be held in Brazil, although the team have been eliminated from the African Cup of Nations (ACN) for the second time in a row. "My main task is to reach the 2014 World Cup and we are in the process of building up a strong team," Bradley said following the Central Africa game in Bangui on Saturday. Egypt drew 1-1 with the Central African Republic (CAR) in Bangui. Prior to that, two weeks ago, the Pharaohs suffered a shocking 3-2 defeat in the first leg against the CAR at home in Alexandria. Therefore, they will miss the ACN finals for the second time in a row. "The team participated in the 2013 ACN qualifiers in difficult circumstances after the stoppage of sports activities in the country, making it difficult for us to prepare properly," Bradley, the 56-year old tactician, told Modern Sports TV channel. The former United States coach explained that the coaching staff's priority now is to reach the 2014 World Cup. That would be Egypt's third-ever appearance and its first in 24 years; as the 2013 ACN was a secondary objective. Meanwhile, the Pharaohs have been drawn in Group G in the World Cup qualifiers, alongside Guinea, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Egypt top Group G with six points, while Guinea are in second place on three points. On June 11, Egypt beat Guinea 3-2 in Conakry, thanks to two goals from veteran midfielder Mohamed Abou Treika and another from youngster Mohamed Salah. Prior to that, on June 1, they beat Mozambique 2-0 in Alexandria, behind closed doors. On February 1, in the coastal city of Port Said, a match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly in the Egyptian Premier League turned violent, claiming the lives of at least 74 Ahly fans and injuring around 1,000 more. Seconds after the final whistle, thousands of supporters of Port Said team Al-Masry invaded the pitch, hurling bottles and rocks at the fans of Cairo's Ahly. As a result, the Premier League was cancelled, besides all other top-level sports activities.
