Egyptian Coach Shawky Gharib Drops Four Players Following Poor AFCON Qualifying Start
The Egyptian national team, the Pharaohs, have had a troubling start to their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, suffering consecutive defeats against Senegal in Dakar and Tunisia in Cairo.
In response to what he deemed underwhelming performances, head coach Shawky Gharib has taken decisive action by dropping four players from the squad. Defenders Ahmed Said “Okka” and Shawky El-Said, along with forwards Khaled Kamar and Ahmed Hassan Koka, have been excluded from the upcoming national team selection.
These players will miss Egypt’s next qualifier against Botswana, scheduled for October, as Gharib looks to reshape the squad and arrest the team’s faltering momentum.
The early setbacks and subsequent squad changes underscore the mounting pressure on Egypt to secure qualification and restore pride in a competition where they have historically been strong contenders.
