Egypt manager Hassan Shehata has been assured of keeping his job despite the team's poor position in the CAN 2012 qualifiers, the FA said on Thursday. Shehata's job came under scrutiny after Egypt were handed a second straight defeat in South Africa last week, a blow which left the African champions bottom of Group 7 with a slight chance of making the Gabon/Equatorial Guinea finals. With some pundits calling for Shehata's departure, the Egyptian football governing body dismissed the notion. “The FA decided in a board meeting led by chairman Samir Zaher to renew confidence in coach Hassan Shehata and his staff to lead the first team in the next phase,” a statement on the FA's website read. “This is based on the board's utmost belief in Shehata's abilities and what he had achieved for Egyptian football during the past years.” Shehata is regarded as one of the most successful managers ever to take charge of Egypt, thanks to his triple Africa Cup of Nations triumphs with the Pharaohs in recent years. The 61-year-old announced on Wednesday that he would not step down unless the FA decides to give him the sack. Meanwhile, former Goldi chairman Ihab Saleh has been hired to replace Salah Hosni as the FA's General Secretary, whereas board member Mahmoud Taher has resigned.
