The Egyptian national team were greeted with cheers upon their arrival to Cairo Airport after their elimination from the Confederations Cup first round. Despite a narrow loss to Brazil and a historic win over world champions Italy, Egypt exited the competition after a surprise 3-0 defeat at the hands of USA. Led by head of the National Democratic Party's Policies Committee Gamal Mubarak and National Sports Council President Hassan Sakr, fans stood in lines to welcome the Pharaohs on Tuesday. "Those players and their coach have honoured all Egyptians by becoming African champions in 2006 and 2008 and we shouldn't forget such achievements," Mubarak said.
Mohamed Zidan and actress fiancee "I also want to salute them for their great displays against Brazil and Italy in the Confederations. "What is important now is that we need to build on these performances and prepare our team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers." From his side, Egypt coach Hassan Shehata promised to lead his team to the 2010 World Cup to be held also in South Africa. The six-time African champions are currently fourth in qualifications Group C with one point, six points and one game behind leaders Algeria.
