CAIRO: Egypt coach Hector Cuper has been forced to defend his tactics and reliance on star man Mohamed Salah, claiming a different strategy may not have led the Pharaohs to what will be their first World Cup in 28 years.
Egypt have gathered in Cairo for the first time since Oct. 8, when they qualified for the World Cup with a game to spare after beating Republic of Congo 2-1 to top Africa Group E. They face Ghana in their last qualifier on Sunday.
Yet, despite the long-awaited qualification, Cuper has been widely criticized in Egypt for his cautious tactics and dependence on Salah. Some in the local media have mockingly dubbed the Argentine’s strategy to be “Pass it to Salah,” and others have gone so far as to say he should be fired.
Egyptian football officials side with Cuper, the coach since 2015, and have pledged to keep him through to the World Cup in Russia next year.
Cuper answered the criticism at a packed news conference at Cairo’s 100,000-seat stadium, before the national squad trained, and said: “The team may have the potential to perform better, and we could have changed our tactics, but we may also not have been going to Russia as we are now.
“In football, not everyone can agree on a single set of tactics. Sometimes, even realizing all the set objectives is not enough for the sport’s officials. It’s natural.
“Sometimes, I myself make a wrong assessment and it’s possible that Egypt could have qualified for the World Cup with a different coach. My abilities may have their limitations, and with another coach you could have played better, braver, and attacked more.”
In response to criticism that he has relied heavily on overseas-based players, Cuper said he’s tried 50 players during his two-and-a-half-year tenure, and he and his staff have tirelessly watched domestic games with a view to recruiting new talent.
But he cautioned that bringing in new faces won’t be easy at this stage.
“We watch and we analyze to see who is better and more suitable,” he said. “The players already in the squad know their places are not guaranteed. Even my job is not guaranteed.”
The priority, he said, for the Ghana match will be to give game-time to peripheral players already in the squad. Cuper defended leaving Salah out of the clash, saying the striker was “very exhausted, both physically and emotionally” when he was last on international duty. He, instead, called up striker Mahmoud Abdel-Razeq, better known by his nickname Sheekabala, for the first time since 2014. Sheekabala has been in impressive form for Saudi club Al Raed.
“He has developed in a big way recently and he could get to play against Ghana,” Cuper said.
‘We are not reliant on Salah,’ claims Egypt coach Cuper
‘We are not reliant on Salah,’ claims Egypt coach Cuper
US drops bid to preserve FIFA bribery convictions
- Prosecutors told the Supreme Court on Tuesday they wanted to end their fight
- The case was one of several to emerge from a sweeping 2015 corruption probe by DOJ
NEW YORK: The US government has moved to drop its case against a former Fox broadcasting executive involved in the FIFA corruption scandal that plunged the world’s footballing body into crisis.
Prosecutors told the Supreme Court on Tuesday they wanted to end their fight to preserve the convictions of Hernan Lopez and Argentine sports marketing firm Full Play.
Both were found guilty in March 2023 of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies related to bribes to secure lucrative television rights to international football officials. The convictions were overturned on appeal months later, before being reinstated this July.
The case was one of several to emerge from a sweeping 2015 corruption probe by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which ultimately led to the downfall of then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
In a filing to the Supreme Court, which Lopez had asked to review his conviction, prosecutors said that dismissal of the case is “in the interests of justice,” without giving further details.
They asked the case be returned to a lower court for its formal dismissal.
“I’m grateful the truth prevailed, and I’m also confident more of that truth will come out,” Lopez, a US and Argentine citizen, wrote on X late Tuesday.
While there was no indication of Donald Trump’s involvement, the US president has issued a string of pardons including for corruption related offenses.
In February, he ordered the DOJ to pause enforcement of a long-established law that prohibits American companies from bribing officials of foreign governments to gain business.
Lopez was facing up to 40 years in prison and millions of dollars in penalties after his conviction for money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy.
During the trial, a US court heard that the main beneficiaries of the kickback scheme were six of the most powerful men in South American football.
They included former CONMEBOL president Nicolas Leoz, who died in 2019, former Argentine football executive Julio Grondona, who died in 2014, and former Brazilian football chief Ricardo Teixeira.
The United States will host the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico next year.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has cozied up with Trump ahead of the sporting event, this month awarding him the governing body’s inaugural “peace prize.”
