The Egyptian FA claim a friendly match agreement with Ghana in the first half of January despite the latter initially announcing a game with Tunisia during that period. The FA said on its official website that the national team will play two friendly games against Ghana and Ivory Coast in January without specifying a specific date for both fixtures. Egypt coach Diaa Al-Sayed, however, had stated few days ago that they could play Ghana on January 13, the same date that would see the Black Stars take on Tunisia. Al-Sayed's comments were still unconfirmed until the FA issued a statement with the two friendlies on Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether Ghana, who kick off their African Cup of Nations campaign on January 20, will face Egypt or Tunisia as the Black Stars only have the first half of next month available for warm-up games. Egypt's friendly schedule has been out of sorts recently, with a number of fixtures called off or replaced. The Pharaohs, seven-time African Champions, failed to make it to the competition for the second time in a row as they play the first competitive game against Zimbabwe next March.
