The quest for the continent's top football honor begins on Friday when Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak gives the starting signal for the 25th edition of the African Cup of Nations in the Cairo International Stadium. Hosts Egypt take-on neighbors Libya in the opening match of the biannual 32-game tournament that will run until February 10th. The match, which kicks-off at 7pm (CLT), will be preceded by a 45-minute cultural gala symbolizing the merge of the African Pharaonic culture within the host country. Egypt are hosting Africa's top sports event for the fourth time (previously hosted in 1959, 1974 and 1986). The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the Nations Cup have prepared well for the event thanks to its coordination with the ministries of Interior, Defense and Information, among others. Promotional TV shows, ads and poster and a tournament theme song were released by the LOC with the cooperation of the Ministry of Information. The Ministry of Interior put the Middle East's most populated country on high alert to maintain security in the areas surrounding the stadiums, hotels and training venues. The Ministry of Defense played a significant role in refurbishing the Cairo Stadium, the tournament's main venue, whic is set to receive a 74,000 capacity crowd for Egypt's opening game on Friday.
The Cairo International Stadium The four-time African champions are under pressure to perform from the anticipating home fans. Egypt coach Hassan Shehata believes a victory of his neighbors to the west would provide a much-needed jump start for his team. Shehata says nothing has changed since Egypt last beat Libya 4-1 at home in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. The Egyptian concluded their preparations for Friday's encounter with a light training session on Thursday evening. Shehata refused to name his squad, noting he has a surprise lined-up for his Libya opposite number Ilija Loncarevic. Egypt's expected line-up: Essam Al-Hadari, Ibrahim Saied, Wael Gomaa, Abdul-Zaher Al-Saqqa, Ahmed Fathi, Mohamed Barakat, Hassan Mostafa, Mohamed Abou-Treika, Mohamed Abul-Wahab, Amr Zaki and Ahmed Hossam “Mido”. Libya, meanwhile, received a huge morale booster after the participation of captain Tarek Al-Taib was confirmed. The Gaziantepspor midfielder was doubtful for the opening game because of a muscle strain. The Libyan team, nicknamed the Greens, will be without duo Naji Shushan and Nader Kara who are both serving one-match suspensions picked up in the qualifiers.
