Egypt coach sacked, EFA board members resign as Egypt crashes from AFCON

Coach Javier Aguirre accepted responsibility for Egypt’s shock elimination from AFCON 2019, losing to South Africa 1-0 Saturday

Mahmoud Elassal , Sunday 7 Jul 2019,

Javier Aguirre, the newly named coach for Egypt national soccer team holds a jersey reading 2022 with Egyptian FA head Hany Abo Rida (L) and member of Egypt FA, Magdy Abdelghany (R) in Cairo, Egypt August 2, 2018. (Photo: Reuters)

Egyptian Football Association (EFA) board members have announced their resignation from their posts and accepted the resignation of the Egyptian national team technical staff headed by Mexican coach Javier Aguirre after the Pharaohs' elimination from the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Pharaoh's suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the knockout stage of the 2019 AFCON on Saturday when Thembinkosi Lorch netted the decisive goal five minutes from time after finishing off a neatly-worked breakaway, with Egypt paying the price for their defensive frailties as they poured forward en masse to settle the tie before extra time.

"This decision comes as a moral obligation, although the football association had given the national team full support," EFA president Hany Abo Rida said in a statement early Sunday.

"All the technical staff are sacked after destroying the hopes of Egyptian football fans,” he added. Abo Rida confirmed he will remain in his post as head of the AFCON 2019 organising committee.

EFA board members announced their resignations separately in the early hours of Sunday.

Egypt coach Aguirre took responsibly for the shock elimination from AFCON. "I am the one responsible [for Egypt's exit]," Aguirre told the post-match news conference.

The elimination marked Egypt's worst-ever performance as AFCON hosts. They twice won the tournament as hosts in 1986 and 2006, losing in the final in 1959 and the semi-finals in 1974.

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