Egypt is preparing for the African Nations Championship, which begins on the ninth of January, where it plays its first match against Nigeria on the 11th of the same month, and then faces Guinea-Bissau and Sudan on January 15 and 19.
Queiroz surprise
Portuguese Carlos Queiroz informed the Egyptian Football Association and the Minister of Sports of his intention to retire after achieving his main goal with the Egyptian national team to qualify for the World Cup this year, and to lead the team in the tournament for the last time from the coach’s seat.
The Egyptian Minister of Sports stressed the need to strive for the African Nations Cup title, calling on Queiroz to consider the tournament as important as qualifying for the World Cup.
Interpretation of the decision
Experts criticized the Portuguese coach’s decision to retire, and announced it at a sensitive time before the African Nations Cup and the World Cup.
Critics emphasized that even if Queiroz decided to retire at the end of the year, after a long career, it would be “wiser” if he announced his intention after the end of the two crucial tournaments.
Some experts suggested that Queiroz’s decision might be an “attempt” by him to relieve public pressure on him, as if he was sending a message that his stay is temporary, and to call him “work in peace.”
Egypt is seeking to achieve the eighth title in its history, despite the strong competition that awaits it from other teams that are full of professionals throughout Europe and the world.
on the line of fire
The Portuguese Carlos Queiroz is experiencing a state of rejection among many football fans in Egypt, especially the Al-Ahly and Zamalek fans, because of his choices during which he excluded several prominent stars in the two teams.
Queiroz excluded from Al-Ahly Mohamed Magdy “Afsha”, the owner of the goal of crowning Al-Ahly in the CAF Champions League final in 2020, and one of the most prominent playmakers in the Egyptian League.
The Portuguese also excluded Tareq Hamed, the star of Zamalek club and one of the best players in the defensive center in Egypt, which brought Queiroz a barrage of attack and rejection from the fans of the White Castle.
There were voices calling for Carlos Queiroz to leave the Egyptian national team after the failure in the Arab Cup, and the matter turned into a demand to terminate the Portuguese coach’s contract if he repeated the failure in the African nations without waiting for the World Cup qualifiers next March.
For his part, Mahmoud Abu Rjeleh, the former Zamalek star and Egypt national team, told Sky News Arabia: “I do not know why Queiroz always talks about negative things at this time, such as not winning the championship or retiring.”
Abu Regeleh concluded: “We have to preserve the entity of the Egyptian national team at the present time without looking at Carlos Queiroz per se. We are required to support now before the tournament, and then we will hold him accountable after.”
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