Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Samir Zaher said that he received an offer to stage an international friendly between Egypt and world champions Italy in Cairo. Zaher said that he received the offer through a high-profile media organization that wants the game to take place in Egypt in August or October 2007. “The organization will pay all the costs of bringing the Italian to Cairo, their accommodation and booking,” Zaher told FilGoal.com. He said that the organization already contacted the Italian Football Federation and got their initial approval, while Egypt coach Hassan Shehata showed no objection to the idea.
World champions Italy Zaher, however, did point out that the problem was with the timing of the game, as the national team already has two scheduled matches against Ivory Coast in Paris next August and another in October against Japan in Tokyo. But the EFA president said he would not let the chance of facing the reining World Cup champions slip, noting that if the game is confirmed “Egypt will sacrifice one of the already scheduled friendlies”. Egypt last faced Italy in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The game ended in a 1-0 for the Azzurri.
