"The Olympic team does not have any agenda or games for a year, and that’s why we decided to release the technical staff so we won't have to pay their salaries in this period," EFA spokesman Walid El Attar told Egyptian television channel Al-Hayat.

Gharib, who will turn 63 on 26 February, was named as the U23 team coach in September last year for a third spell and has not presided over any games since. 

He is best known for leading Egypt to their first ever bronze medal as they finished third in the 2021 U20 World Championship. He also steered the young Pharaohs to the 2019 U23 Africa Cup of Nations title and qualified them for the quarter finals at 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

His reappointment at the helm of the national Olympic team by the previous normalisation committee, which was tasked with running the EFA on an interim basis, was met with widespread criticism, with many pundits saying fresh faces were needed to lead the team. 

A new EFA board was elected last December and it has now moved to heed those calls. 

The Africa U23 Africa Cup of Nations will take place next year and the top three teams will qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

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