Egypt's coach Shawky Gharib gestures during their African Nations Cup qualifying soccer match against Tunisia in Cairo September 10, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt coach Shawky Gharib will be replaced if the team fails to qualify for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, it was announced on Wednesday.
"The national team's failures are the responsibility of its technical staff. We will hire a foreign manager if Gharib fails to take the team to CAN in Morocco," Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Gamal Allam said.
Gharib was appointed in November after former manager, American Bob Bradley, resigned when he failed to reach the 2014 World Cup.
The 55-year-old tactician – who won the CAN three times in a row (2006, 2008 and 2010) as an assistant to coach Hassan Shehata – is bidding for a return to the championship in Morocco, after the team missed the last two editions in 2012 under Shehata and 2013 under Bradley.
He led the Pharaohs to two successive defeats in the qualifiers: 2-0 away against Senegal and 1-0 at home against Tunisia to languish bottom of Group E.
Gharib is finalising his squad for next game against Botswana on 10 October.
Egypt are the record winners of the Nations Cup with seven titles under their belt, winning in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
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