JOHANNESBURG: Egypt coach Hassan Shehata believes his shell-shocked squad dare not fear Brazil ahead of their June 15 FIFA Confederations Cup showdown in South Africa. The African champions lost a 2010 World Cup qualifier 3-1 in Algeria last Sunday, raising doubts about their ability to match holders Brazil, World Cup champions Italy and world top-20 …

CAIRO: Ismaili are on the brink of reappointing Mark Wotte as head coach, following the departure of Brazilian boss Ricardo Ferreira at the end of last season. The Dutch tactician took charge of the Dervishes few years ago, but he abruptly ended his tenure due to personal issues. German coach Theo Buecker, who had two …

ALEXANDRIA: Ittihad have reached an agreement with ENPPI to keep on-loan midfielder Ibrahim Al-Shayeb on a permanent basis. Al-Shayeb will join us permanently for a fee of LE 600,000. He should sign the contract soon, Ittihad chairman Mohamed Moselhi told FilGoal.com. Al-Shayeb joined ENPPI from Ittihad in 2006, but struggled to find a regular place …

CAIRO: Egypt technical staff have omitted Zamalek striker Amr Zaki from the FIFA Confederations Cup squad due to injury, and decided to name Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha instead. Zaki was excluded from the list after sustaining a hamstring injury, Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib told FilGoal.com. We are now seeking to name Abou-Greisha in the squad …

JOHANNESBURG: When a football team is suffering from a massive hangover, Brazil, Italy and the United States are hardly the ideal remedies. Those are the teams preparing FIFA Confederations Cup ambushes for Egypt, whose hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup received a severe jolt after a 3-1 hiding in Algeria last Sunday. World Cup …

CAIRO: Egypt captain Ahmed Hassan still sees hope in qualifying for the World Cup, following the demoralizing 3-1 defeat to Algeria on Sunday. Algeria moved to the top of Group C with an astounding victory in Blida, leaving the African champions bottom of the group with a single point. Hassan, who came on as a …

CAIRO: Zamalek have added another second-division import to their ranks as they snapped up midfielder Shawki Al-Saied from Shams, the player confirmed. I signed a five-year deal with Zamalek, but I am not ready to reveal the details of my contract, the 21-year-old midfielder told FilGoal.com. It is believed that Shams will receive LE1 million …

CAIRO: Zamalek midfielder Mahmoud Samir is eager to move on, but conceded that the Cairo club is reluctant to let him go. The 23-year-old revealed that ENPPI have officially made a bid for him, but his club s asking price was far from reasonable. I told Zamalek officials that I want to join ENPPI, but …

CAIRO: Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib said that the Pharaohs chances of booking a place in the World Cup are contingent on the imminent game between group rivals Zambia and Algeria. The six-time African champions slumped to a 3-1 loss to Algeria in Blida, and now they are in an unenviable position in the qualifying …

NEW YORK: African champion Egypt lost 3-1 at Algeria Sunday, which got goals from Karim Matmour, Abdelkader Ghezzal and Rafik Djebbour, and is last in Group C. Also on Sunday Samuel Eto o and his Cameroon lineup were held to a scoreless draw by visiting Morocco in an African World Cup qualifier. After missing the …

CAIRO: Algeria manager Rabah Saadane is overwhelmed by his side s thumping 3-1 victory over Egypt in the World Cup qualifiers on Sunday. The Desert Foxes took charge of Group C with the shocking win in Blida, thanks to a poor second-half display from Egypt. I can t believe we have won by this score …

CAIRO: Egypt head coach Hassan Shehata put the Pharaohs 3-1 defeat to Algeria in Sunday s World Cup qualifier down to the first goal they conceded. The six-time African champions were relatively stable in the first half, but they suffered a sudden collapse after the interval to allow the Desert Foxes to notch three goals …

CAIRO: Zamalek dispensed with Ivorian striker Olie Koffi after he failed to impress during a five-month spell at the Cairo giants. Koffi joined Zamalek from Societe Omnisports late in January after undergoing a trial period with the club. He was given limited opportunities under Swiss coach Michel Decastel, making only three appearances. The 24-year-old did …

CAIRO: Portuguese coach Nelo Vingada said on Saturday that neither Ahly nor Ismaili made official contact with him regarding their vacant managerial seats. No invitations were made for me, I m coming to Egypt for vacation, Vingada told Al-Hayat TV. Some people talked to me about the Ahly job, but nothing is official yet. I …

CAIRO: Egypt has climbed back to the top of African football after years of failures, winning the last two continental championships. The African champion now faces a tougher challenge at the Confederations Cup. The record six-time African champion s draw at the tournament in South Africa could hardly be more daunting. Egypt will face Brazil …

CAIRO: Telecom Egypt has filed a complaint to FIFA regarding an alleged match-fixing of the Egyptian Premier League game between Ghazl Mahalla and Ittihad. Mahalla were beaten at home by Ittihad on the final day of the season, a result which meant that Telecom was relegated despite their away win at Asyut Petroleum. According to …

CAIRO: Hassan Moustafa had a comfortable election victory Friday to win another four-year term as president of the International Handball Federation. The Egyptian beat his only opponent, Jean Kaiser of Luxembourg, 115-25 in a poll of national federations at their Congress. The 64-year-old Moustafa has been IHF president since 2000, when he became the first …

CAIRO: Football fans in Egypt and Algeria won’t be talking about anything except this Sunday’s clash between the two teams at Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida in their World Cup 2010 qualification campaign. Since the draw was announced in October, anticipation has been building up for the game. The pressure on the players and coaches …

ZURICH: Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary has been banned from all football for four months for breaching his contract at former club Al-Ahly. FIFA announced the ban Tuesday and said El-Hadary and his current club FC Sion of Switzerland must pay ?900,000 ($1.3 million) in compensation to the Egyptian side Al-Ahly. The world football body s …

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia s Hilal are interested in signing Zamalek striker Amr Zaki, the player s agent said on Wednesday. Hilal want to sign Zaki in the close season, Nader Shawki told FilGoal.com. But my client will not decide whether to accept Hilal s offer until after the Confederations Cup. The Bulldozer has just finished …

CAIRO: Zamalek defender Osama Hassan and Telecom Egypt striker Ahmed Omran are joining Petrojet soon. According to a reliable source, Hassan put his signature to a pre-contract agreement with the petroleum side. Omran has also welcomed Petrojet s overtures, and should seal a move to the Suez club right away. Petrojet finished last season in …

CAIRO: German tabloid magazine Bild described Egypt players celebration after scoring in the Oman friendly as one of the dumbest in football history. Mohamed Abou-Trika scored the only goal of the game, after which he went to the byline to celebrate with Egypt s benchwarmers. However, Amr Zaki and Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malek collided when they …

CAIRO: Ahmed Al-Kass has returned for a third stint as Olympic coach, the Alexandria-based club announced on Wednesday. Al-Kass will succeed Mohamed Helmi, whose contract has expired, as Olympic coach, the club s board Ibrahim Al-Sheikh told FilGoal.com. A poor season saw Olympic drop to the Egyptian second division after just one season in the …

CAIRO: Ahly captain Shadi Mohamed is set to leave after 10 years with the club, whereas Emad Al-Nahhas has been also released, the Egyptian champions said on Thursday. The 32-year-old Shadi is looking for a new challenge and thus requested to be given a free transfer, ahead of his contract expiry at the end of …

CAIRO: Ahly assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri put his side s defeat at Santos in the CAF Confederation Cup down to “leniency and lack of concentration , while home side coach Mario Clado was elated at his team s “remarkable feat . The Red Devils came on in Sunday s game with a three-goal cushion from …

CAIRO: FIFA have confirmed a decision to suspend Telecom Egypt football director Ibrahim Hassan for five years. The former Ahly star received the same ban from the North African Football Association when he was Masri director in December 2008. Hassan was handed the ban after his misconduct during Masri s game against OSM Bejaia of …

CAIRO: Manuel Jose ended his title-strewn career as Al-Ahly coach disastrously when the Egyptian giants were dumped out of the African Confederation Cup by Santos in Angola on Sunday. Ahly, winners of the African Champions League a record six times, took a 3-0 lead into the return match and even the absence of star midfielder …

BERLIN: Germany have tentatively organized friendly internationals with Chile and Egypt on November 14 and 18, general manager Oliver Bierhoff told the SID sports agency on Sunday. The matches are dependent on Germany landing first place in their World Cup qualifying Group 4, Bierhoff explained. Currently, they lead Russia by four points with five wins …

CAIRO: Coach Hassan Shehata said Mido still had the chance to earn an Egypt call up ahead of next month s FIFA Confederations Cup. The Wigan Athletic on-loan striker was surprisingly left out of the Pharaohs squad for the crunch World Cup qualifier against Algeria on June 7. Reports said that he would also miss …