Egypt defeated Nigeria 3-1 in the 2010 African Cup of Nations
Egypt will not be able to face Nigeria away from home in a friendly game on 28 May, assistant coach Hamada Sedki said on Friday.
Nigeria invited the Pharaohs to play a friendly to mark the inauguration of newly-elected president Goodluck Jonathan but the match is unlikely to go ahead due to a tight schedule.
“That game would have been useful for Egypt ahead of the crucial African Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in June, but limited time is a hindrance,” said Sedki, one of the assistants of head coach Hassan Shehata.
“It can only be played in Cairo. The technical staff will ask the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to send a fax to their Nigerian counterparts over the possibility of holding that match in Cairo.
“Otherwise, we will try to find another opponent to face in Cairo.”
Egypt’s last meeting with Nigeria was in the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.
Shehata’s side came from a goal down to beat the Super Eagles 3-1 in their group opener before eventually going on to clinch a record-extending seventh continental title.
Political turmoil in Nigeria could be also another reason for the difficulty of playing a friendly match there.
Angry youths launched violent protests in Nigerian northern cities this week after Jonathan was declared the winner of the presidential election after beating off competition from former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.
Egypt risk the unthinkable prospect of missing out on a place in the 2012 Nations Cup after making a disastrous start to their qualifying campaign.
They lie at the bottom of Group G with one point from three games, six behind leaders South Africa whom they host in Cairo in June.
The winners of the 11 groups in the qualifiers and the best two second-placed teams will secure passage to next year’s Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
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