Former national team manager Mahmoud Al-Gohari has been tipped to take charge of the Egyptian Under-20 team that will compete in the 2009 Under-20 World Cup on home soil, local media reported. Al-Ahram newspaper stated that the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) is interested in recalling the veteran coach after Portuguese Eduardo ‘Nelo' Vingada turned down the position that was offered to him on Saturday. Vingada's contract with the EFA had expired after the Egyptian Olympic team was eliminated from the 2008 Beijing Games qualifiers. However, EFA officials, who believe in the capabilities of Vingada, offered the former Zamalek coach an extension that would allow him to lead the Egyptians in the 2009 tournament.
Eduardo Vingada But Vingada's refusal opened the door for Al-Gohari to step in as a major candidate. Al-Gohari, who is currently in charge of the Jordanian national teams, has not been officially approached by the EFA. The 70-year-old manager is considered by many the most successful coach in Egyptian football history as he guided Ahli to their first African Champions League trophy in 1982 and helped Egypt reach the 1990 World Cup finals in 1990 before winning the African Cup of Nations eight years later. If Al-Gohari was to accept the position, which remains an uncertainty given his commitment to Jordan, he would be assisted by the team's current coaching staff that includes Rabie Yassine and Mohamed Al-Saifi.
