Egypt’s coach, Bob Bradley, has announced a preliminary squad exclusively composed of expatriate players for the upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifier against Guinea on September 10.
One of the notable surprises in the list is the return of striker Amr Zaki to the national team after a hiatus of 9 months. The 30-year-old, now playing for Kuwaiti team Al-Salmeya, expressed his joy at being recalled to the Pharaons, stating, “I am very happy for this call-up. I hope this will be an opportunity to play with the national team again to realize my dream and participate in the World Cup.”
Amr Zaki had not been part of the national team since leaving Zamalek in 2012. His journey included stints with Turkish side Elazigspor before a period without a club. Although Bradley had called him up for a friendly against Ghana in January 2013, where Egypt suffered a 3-0 loss, the American coach seems willing to give him another chance.
The complete list of expatriate players includes Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull City, England), Adam El-Abd (Brighton, England), Mohamed Salah (FC Basel, Switzerland), Mohamed El-Neny (FC Basel, Switzerland), Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim alias “Kahraba” (Lucerne, Switzerland), Hossam Ghaly (Lierse, Belgium), Ahmed Hassan alias “Koka” (Rio Ave FC, Portugal), Amr Zaki (Al-Salmiya SC, Kuwait), Ibrahim Salah (Al-Oroba, Saudi Arabia).
The roster will be finalized with the inclusion of local players after the African Champions League matches involving Zamalek and Al-Ahly taking place next weekend.
