Egypt coach Hassan Shehata shouldn't feel obliged to exclude Essam Al-Hadari from his side's squad just because the veteran goalkeeper is involved in a dispute with his club Ahli. Ahli fans were furious with Shehata's decision to include Al-Hadari in Egypt's starting line-up for the friendly game against Argentina, which ended in a 2-0 victory for the South Americans. Not only Ahli supporters who questioned Shehata's decision, but also several high-profile critics had their own reservations. Al-Ahram sports pundit Ibrahim Hegazi blamed Shehata 'for opening the door to escapees' and Hassan Al-Mestikawi believed Al-Hadari shouldn't have been called-up to the Egyptian squad. It is true that Al-Hadari committed a fatal error when he tried to join Swiss side Sion without the consent of Ahli but he shouldn't pay for his mistake everywhere. He has been already punished by Ahli, which is enough.
He has been already punished by Ahli, which is enough. A club mistake shouldn't cost Al-Hadari a place in the national team squad because he was well-disciplined throughout his 11-year spell with the Pharaohs. He has been a key member of Egypt's squad in recent years after playing a pivotal role in the Pharaohs' two successive Nations Cup triumphs. Al-Hadari's back-up for Egypt, Zamalek's Mohamed Abdul-Monsef, does not have sufficient experience on the international level. It will be risky to depend on Abdul-Monsef in Egypt's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, which will start after two months. Al-Hadari should retain his place between Egypt's sticks regardless of his recent problems with Cairo giants Ahli.
