The head of the Egyptian Football Association, Gamal Allam, has hinted at the sacking of his country’s coach, Ihab Galal, after he played just two rounds in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, the final of which is scheduled for next year in Côte d’Ivoire.

Allam said in a televised address: “Two board members of the Federation, Hazem Emam and Mohamed Barakat, have been tasked with reviewing the resumes of foreign coaches to lead the Egyptian national team.”

“We were going to announce it next Thursday, in anticipation of the return of the national team after meeting with the South Korean counterpart next Wednesday,” he added.

Galal was reported to have been sacked following Egypt’s 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia last Thursday in Malawi in the second round of the Group D competition.

The loss was followed by a lackluster performance and a difficult victory over away Guinea with a late single goal from Turkish Galatasaray striker Mustafa Mohamed in the 87th minute in the first leg at the helm of former Pyramids coach Ihab Galal. the technical leadership of the Pharaohs team to replace the Portuguese Carlos Queiroz.

Allam commented: “We signed Ihab Galal after we were surprised that former national team coach Carlos Queiroz did not stay with us. We signed an Egyptian coach due to a shortage of US dollar cash.”

In response to a question about whether the Egyptian Federation was in a hurry with the choice of Jalal?, He said: “It is possible, but there may be a course correction.”

Allam rejected Queiroz’s departure, emphasizing “I’m not the one who decided to leave, his contract expired after the match with Senegal”, referring to the second leg of the decisive third round of World Cup qualifiers in Qatar when Egypt lost on penalties.

He added: “Ihab Galal did not work 10 days with the national team and we are saddened by what happened in Ethiopia and do not condone the defeat.”

Allam later issued an official statement saying, “I did not authorize the resignation of Ihab Jalal and it was clear in my statement that we are exploring all alternatives until a final decision is made during the next council meeting.”

It is noteworthy that Barakat and Imam, together with the vice-president of the federation, Khaled al-Darandali, proposed that the task of preparing the national team be entrusted to a national coach, and also expressed a desire to hire a foreign coach.