Egypt assistant coach Hamada Sedki said Mohamed Barakat was left out of the team's squad for the friendly game against Kenya because he doesn't belong to the substitutes. A largely-second string Egypt side defeated Kenya 1-0 at Cairo stadium on Friday. Several pundits questioned coach Hassan Shehata's decision not to include Ahli midfielder Barakat in Egypt's squad despite his recent impressive displays. Sedki moved to clarify the matter, revealing that the 32-year-old is part of Shehata's plans for the upcoming period. "Today we gave a chance to many substitutes, and Barakat is not one of them," he told Nile Sports after the game. "Barakat belongs to Egypt's regulars. He and Dortmund forward Mohamed Zidan will be part of the team's squad for the upcoming friendly against Ghana." The six-time African champions will meet Ghana on February 11th as they prepare for the last phase of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Barakat hasn't played a single game for Egypt since June 2006 due to disciplinary reasons. Shehata accused him of deliberately skipping the Pharaohs' games and consequently dropped him from the team's squad.
