Combined images of ( From L to R) Ahly Goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and Ahly Defender Rami Rabia. Photo courtesy of Egypt National Team Facebook page.
Goalkeepers Mohamed El Shennawy and Mostafa Shobeir, defenders Rami Rabia and Mohamed Hany, and midfielders Ahmed "Koka" Nabil and Marwan Attia arrived at the camp on Monday and were set to take part in the evening training session.
Coach Hossam Hassan had announced a 24-man squad on Saturday for the qualifiers, with Egypt set to face Ethiopia in Casablanca on Friday before hosting Sierra Leone in Cairo four days later.
The training camp kicked off on Sunday as scheduled with all the domestic-based players, as well as Qatar-based duo Hamdi Fathi and Mahmoud "Trezeguet" Hassan. However, Ahly’s players only joined a day later as tensions between the club and the EFA escalated.
The Red Devils withdrew from the Cairo derby against Zamalek on 11 March in protest against the EFA’s decision to assign an Egyptian officiating crew, led by Mahmoud Bassiouny, despite their repeated requests for foreign referees.
Ahly have since threatened to pull out of the league and have lodged a complaint with the Egyptian Olympic Committee.
Reports suggest the club insisted on adhering to FIFA regulations, which mandate the release of players to national teams only four days before international matches, further straining relations with the federation.
Neither Ahly nor the EFA have issued an official statement regarding the dispute.
Egypt currently lead their World Cup qualifying group with 10 points from four matches. Two more wins could put them on the brink of securing a place in the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
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