CAIRO: Egypt defender Abdel Zaher Al-Saqqa has announced that he won t be available in next year s African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

The 33-year-old stopper revealed that his new club Genclerbirligi asked him to give up the tournament for the team s sake, which he promised to do.

I have just joined Gencler, and they said that I would only sign the deal if I promised to pull out of the Egypt squad, he told FilGoal.com.

I agreed because I know that my chances of being selected for Egypt are rare.

Al-Saqqa, who will be eligible to play for Gencler by next January, has not been recalled by Egypt since the 1-1 friendly draw in Kuwait last May.

I was surprised by the recent Egypt recall for the competition s preliminary squad, but I have already made my decision, added Al-Saqqa.

Al-Saqqa has played every single minute during Egypt s 2006 African triumph on home soil.