Egypt’s 2010 generation receives refereeing briefing before North Africa qualifiers

Mahmoud El Banna, a former international referee and member of the Referees Committee, has delivered a refereeing lecture to Egypt’s under-17 side born in 2010 and their coaching staff ahead of the North Africa tournament.

The session was held during the team’s current training camp at the National Teams Centre, as Egypt prepare to travel to Tunisia for the competition, which serves as a qualifier for the Africa Cup of Nations under-17 tournament.

El Banna explained the latest amendments to the Laws of the Game and reviewed a range of refereeing situations that players and coaches may encounter during matches.

The presentation was intended to improve the squad’s understanding of the updated regulations, help them avoid mistakes and ensure they are better prepared for decisions that could affect Egypt’s performances during the tournament.

The briefing took place before the team’s departure for Tunisia, where the North Africa Under-17 tournament will be staged in the cities of Sousse and Monastir from 10 to 22 November 2026.

Libya withdrawal changes tournament schedule

The North African Football Union has also confirmed that it received a letter from the Libyan Football Federation stating that Libya’s under-17 team would be unable to take part in the North Africa tournament, which acts as a qualifier for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Following Libya’s withdrawal, the competition format has been amended and the tournament will now be played over three rounds.

The three rounds will take place on 10, 13 and 16 November, with the fixtures scheduled as follows:

10 November: Algeria v Morocco; Egypt v Tunisia

13 November: Egypt v Morocco; Algeria v Tunisia

16 November: Tunisia v Morocco; Egypt v Algeria

Abdel Sattar Sabry is in charge of Egypt’s 2010-born team.

The group is expected to form Egypt’s under-17 side next year. The under-17 team is expected to compete in the North Africa tournaments, the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, all of which are held annually.

Sabry was appointed as one of the coaches responsible for Egypt’s age-group national teams. He works alongside Hussein Abdel Latif, who coaches the 2009 age group, and Wael Riad, head coach of the 2007 youth team.

Hossam Hassan is the manager of Egypt’s senior national team, while Shawky Gharib, the Egyptian Football Association’s technical director, is serving as caretaker coach of the Olympic team.