Record seven-time continental champions Egypt must defeat Botswana in Gaborone today to retain a realistic chance of reaching next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
A disastrous Group G start last month saw the Pharaohs lose 2-0 away to Senegal and 1-0 at home to Tunisia, leaving them bottom of the table, six points adrift of the front-runners.
Botswana are equally desperate for maximum points at the National Stadium having lost 2-1 away to Tunisia and 2-0 at home to Senegal.
Egypt won three consecutive Cup of Nations titles between 2006 and 2010, but then failed to qualify for the 2012 and last year’s tournaments.
Coach Hassan Shehata, mastermind of the title hat-trick, quit after the 2012 exit and Bob Bradley of the US was in charge for last year’s campaign.
Shawky Gharib, assistant to Shehata and Bradley, was promoted and his pre-qualifiers promise that Egypt would regain the title seems extraordinarily optimistic.
Angry Egyptian soccer officials have warned the former national team midfielder that he will be sacked if the country suffers the humiliation of a third consecutive qualifying flop.
“National team results are the responsibility of the coaches and we will hire a foreigner if Gharib fails to take the team to Morocco,” soccer association president Gamal Allam said.
Gharib suffered a late blow when one of seven overseas-based players in his 25-man squad, Hull City wingback Ahmed Elmohamady, withdrew injured.
Egypt are a team in transition and Gharib has not found a new “spine” to replace retired defender Wael Gomaa, midfielder Mohamed Abou Trika and injured striker Mohamed “Gedo” Nagy.
Botswana, who are 10 places below Egypt in the Confederation of African Football rankings, were unlucky losers in Tunisia, before failing to match a classy Senegal.
Former West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion midfielder Peter Butler coaches a squad skippered by South Africa-based midfielder Joel Mogorosi and composed largely of locals.
Senegal hope Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse can maintain his hot English Premier League form when they host Tunisia in Dakar today.
Cisse bagged a brace in a draw at Swansea City last weekend and his return from a knee injury will compensate for the absence of Stoke City striker Mame Diouf, sidelined by a hamstring problem.
Senegal are currently among the most impressive African teams with both goals against Egypt created by superb defense-splitting passes from Lokomotiv Moscow’s Dame Ndoye.
Defending champions Nigeria visit Sudan tomorrow desperate for a first Group A win after a shock home loss to Congo Brazzaville and an uninspiring away draw with South Africa.
Coach Stephen Keshi recalled Victor Moses, only for the in-form Stoke City midfielder to withdraw because of a thigh injury.
Out-of-contract Keshi, who is continuing at the request of the sports minister, has also had to contend with an outburst from Emmanuel Emenike.
The Turkey-based striker was angered by public criticism from the coach, who claimed Emenike lacked respect for fellow Super Eagles.
“I am honored to play for Nigeria and respect the coach,” Emenike said. “If he feels I will not help achieve results or harmony, he can omit me.”
South Africa tackle Congo in Atlantic city Pointe-Noire, scene of ugly clashes between the countries in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier won 2-0 by the central African Red Devils.
Several South Africa players finished the game in blood-stained jerseys and TV coverage was temporarily halted when assault rifle-wielding soldiers threatened cameramen.
Cameroon have ignored West Ham United midfielder Alex Song for an “away” Group D game against Sierra Leone, who will play in Yaounde because of the Ebola epidemic.
Song has completed a three-match ban after elbowing a Croatian in the back during the World Cup fianls.
Cameroon have put a disastrous World Cup campaign behind them with convincing victories over the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast reacted to a 4-1 Yaounde drubbing by axing Souleymane Bamba and recalling another long-serving defender, Siaka Tiene, for the clash with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Kinshasa.
Top-ranked Algeria play Malawi in Blantyre, Ghana face Guinea in Morocco owing to the Ebola outbreak, while 2012 champions Zambia meet Niger in Niamey.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite