
Former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt's iconic Coach Hassan Shehata has welcomed a return to the Pharaohs job if he is offered the post.
"Of course I wish to take over the National team. Nobody would decline such an offer especially after what I have done during my first spell," Shehata told a radio program on Monday.
The 65-year old coach, who is currently in charge of Egyptian league Arab Contractors, is among the candidates to take over the Egypt job that has been vacant since the departure of Shawki Gharib in November.
Shehata led Egypt to an unprecedented treble winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
However, he failed during his 7-year tenure to achieve a long-held Egyptian dream of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
He stepped down in 2012 after failing to qualify for the 2012 AFCON making way for American tactician Bob Bradley and then his assistant Shawki Gharib who also failed to take Egypt back both to the continental stage or the World cup.
"If I were to choose I would pick my old staff of Shawki Gharib, Hamada Sedki and Ahmed Soliman. I don't know if they would accept or not because now they moved up in their career but they will my first call," Shehata added.
The Egyptian FA has announced that they will wait until after the end of the Africa Cup of Nations in February to name the National coach.
The board will meet in the coming days to discuss the criteria for selection deciding whether it would be an Egyptian or a foreign coach.
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