Egypt Under-17s receive psychological preparation ahead of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Egypt’s under-17 players, born in 2010, have taken part in a psychological preparation session as they get ready for the North Africa qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The session reflects the emphasis placed by head coach Abdel Sattar Sabry and his staff on the mental development of the squad before the tournament in Tunisia.

It was supervised by Dr Wael El-Refai, a professor of sports psychology and psychological preparer for the national teams at Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports.

El-Refai highlighted the importance of psychological preparation throughout an athlete’s career, according to details published by the Egyptian Football Association’s website.

He explained that success in football is not determined solely by physical ability and technical quality. Players must also be able to manage their emotions and thoughts, maintain concentration and retain confidence in a range of situations.

The psychologist used Mohamed Salah, the current Trabzonspor player in Turkey, as an example of how attention to the mental side of the game can contribute to reaching the highest level.

El-Refai said one of the factors that had helped Salah achieve global standards was his close attention to the different demands of professional football.

Those demands include psychological preparation as well as technical, physical and nutritional development, together with discipline both on and off the pitch.

Egypt will compete in the North Africa qualifiers in Tunisia, with the tournament taking place from 21 September to 2 October.

The qualifiers will determine the teams progressing to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Egypt’s fixtures are:

– Egypt v Tunisia – Saturday, 26 September – Egypt v Libya – Tuesday, 29 September – Egypt v Algeria – Friday, 2 October