Brighton's Egyptian defender Adam El-Abd will not be able to play with the Pharaohs in Friday's clash against Mozambique due to some administrative problems regarding his Egyptian nationality.
The England-born defender was called up by coach Bob Bradley to join Egypt's training camp ahead of the Mozambique 2014 World Cup qualifier. He made his debut in the team's 2-1 win over Cameroon.
"El-Abd has not yet received an Egyptian passport. He will not be able to play in the Mozambique game,'' Egypt's goalkeeping coach Zaki Abdel-Fattah told Ahram Online on Tuesday.
"The problem is that the procedures need around four months to be completed, which means that the player will be sidelined for a long time," he said.
Egypt will host Mozambique in the Egyptian army stadium, in Alexandria on Friday before facing Guinea away from home on 10 June in their next Group G game.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter: @AO Sports)
Short link: