The soap opera that is Hassan Shehata and his relationship with Egyptian strikers, Mohamed Zidan and Ahmed ‘Mido’ Hossam shows no sign of abating. Now Shehata has made up with Zidan but has fallen out with Mido after the slanging incident in the Africa Cup of Nations that Egypt won this year. Previously it was Zidan who was banned from the national team and never played in the World Cup qualifiers in which Egypt was pipped by Cote D”Ivoire.
Egypt with the strength and talent of its team, made all the more admirable by the fact that unlike other African countries, it only has a handful of players playing in the European leagues. If they can get Shahata, Mido and Zidan, together, then qualifying for World Cup 2010 should be easy. Egypt firing on all cylinders, with this duo of strikers should make it out of the first round and even the quarterfinals. Tottenham fans would love to have Mido back. And Mohamed Zidan has become a fan favourite at Werder Bremen.
Hassan Shahata’s squad against Uruguay.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Essam Al Hadari (Ahly), Sherif Ekramy (Feyenoord, Netherlands), Ali Hegazi (Suez Cement), Mostafa Kamal (ENPPI)
Defenders: Tamer Abdelwahab (Zamalek), Abdulzaher El Saqqa (Konyaspor, Turkey), Mahmoud Fathallah (Ghazl Mahalla), Ahmed Fathi (Ismaili), Wael Gomaa (Ahly), Amir Azmi Megahed (PAOK Salonika, Greece), Ahmed Abou Mosalem (Racing Strasbourg, France), Hani Said (Ismaili)
Midfielders: Hosni Abd Rabou (Ismaili), Sherif Al Beyalli (Arab Contractors), Ahmed Al Muhammadi (ENPPI), Mohamed Geddo (Al Ittihad), Ahmed Hassan (Anderlecht, Belgium), Abdelsalam Nagah (Harras Al Hodoud), El Moataz Bellah Mohamed Salama (Zamalek), Mohamed Shawki (Ahly)
Forwards: Abdelhalim Ali (Zamalek), Ahmed Eid Abdelmalek (Harras Al Hodoud), Mostafa Gaafar, Gamal Hamza (both Zamalek), Emad Moteab (Ahly), Amr Zaki (Zamalek), Mohamed Zidan (Werder Bremen, Germany)