The Egyptian team continues its preparations for the Arab Cup tournament in Doha. The Egyptian team enters the tournament with a second-tier list with the majority of its players in the league, except for some elements in the Arab leagues, under the leadership of the able coach Helmy Toulan. The Egyptian team is preparing with full force for the tournament after having played many strong friendly tournaments in the past days by meeting the teams of Tunisia, Bahrain, Morocco, and Algeria. The Egyptian team will play in the third group of the Arab Cup tournament, which includes Jordan, the Emirates, and the team that won the match. Kuwait vs. Mauritania in the qualifying qualifiers for the tournament, and despite the suffering of the Egyptian team, which will miss its stars due to the first team’s participation in the African Cup of Nations alongside the Pyramids players participating in the Intercontinental Cup, the technical staff and players are determined to compete strongly for the title and please the fans and the Qatari community that is heavily present in Doha. Al-Arab conducted an interview with Helmy Toulan, coach of the Pharaohs, to talk to him about the Egyptian team’s preparations and his vision for the competition and the closest teams. To win the title, in addition to many points, and through the following dialogue, the outcome of the match came.
To begin with, we are only a few days away from the start of the Arab Cup. Tell us about the Egyptian team’s preparations for the tournament?
The Egyptian national team’s preparations are going well and the preparations are going well. We played many friendly matches with different schools and achieved great technical gains. These experiences make us stronger and more prepared for a major event as valuable as the Arab Cup.
Everyone knows the circumstances of the Egyptian team and the absences.. From this standpoint, are they coming for the title or is it difficult?
This is football and nothing is guaranteed. Football has many variables, but what I promise is that we will do our best and will not spare any drop of sweat or effort in order to show the true face of Egyptian football that satisfies the Egyptian fans.
But the task will be difficult in the absence of the main players alongside the Pyramids players?
We have grown old with justifications and I am not looking for this matter. It is true that we face problems, but we will not use them as justifications. What I can say is that I am confident in the players on the list and in their ability and determination and that they want to put a smile on the faces of the fans in the tournament.
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But the Egyptian team is in a difficult group. What do you think of it?
A strong and difficult group, and what increases its difficulty is that the teams in the group will play in the first row, unlike our team, which will participate in the African Cup in Morocco, while Egypt, which will play the Arab Cup with players present in the local league, and if we look at the teams, we will find that the Jordanian team is one of the teams that qualified for the World Cup, in addition to being the runner-up in the Asian Cup, next to the Emirati team, which includes in its ranks a number of distinguished players, and the third team, whether Kuwait or Mauritania, will be a difficult team. Also, we will play the tournament step by step.
From your point of view, which teams are nominated to win the title?
Certainly, one of the North African teams will compete strongly, namely Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, the title holders, in addition to Qatar, the owner of the land and the public, which is the Asian champion, and among the nominated teams is the Saudi team.
– You will receive great support from the Egyptian community in Qatar. What is your message to them?
We are waiting for your strong support in the stands, and I know very well that Qatar has a large Egyptian community and they are keen to be in the stands and support the Pharaohs strongly in the tournament, and any Egyptian team or club present in Qatar always receives great public support, which is what we are waiting for, God willing, in the stadiums on which the tournament will be held, which by the way are wonderful stadiums, built in a beautiful way, and a major tournament like the Qatar World Cup 2022 was played on them.
Qatar excels in organizing major tournaments.. What are your expectations for the Qatari organization in the Arab World Cup?
I know Qatar well in its wonderful organization, as I was with the Egyptian national team in 1998 in the Arab Cup that was held in Qatar, and at that time the organization was wonderful, and currently we have witnessed Qatar in several tournaments presenting wonderful championships, whether in the Qatar World Cup 2022, the Arab Cup, and also the World Junior Cup. Qatar has become a great success in organizing large tournaments, and it represents pride for all of us as Arabs.