NFF want Shehata to take charge of team for World Cup

Egypt coach Hassan Shehata said that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had contacted him on the possibility of leading the Super Eagles to the South Africa 2010 World Cup. Hassan Shehata, who has been in charge of Pharaohs of Egyptian team since 2004, on Sunday helped the team to a third successive Nations Cup triumph after beating the Black Stars of Ghana by 1 – 0 in Luanda in Angola.

The 60-year-old coach told television station Modern Sport and bbc that, “Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) expressed an interest in hiring me to take charge of their team during the World Cup. It will be a great honor for me to work in the World Cup, but the Egyptian FA will have the final word on whether I could work with Nigeria on a temporary basis.”

Nigeria, who slumped to a 1-3 defeat to Pharaohs of Egyptian in their group-stage opener, is reportedly looking to replace Shaibu Amodu or a technical advice for the Super Eager after finishing third in Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

It was reported that, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had been linked with Zambia manager Herve Renard and Mozambique coach Mart Nooij, the Egypt coach Shehata claim came as a surprise. The choice of Shehata over Nooij and Renard may be due to the success he recorded with the Pharaohs of Egypt in the past three editions of the Nations Cup.

Egypt narrowly missed out on a place at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa after losing 1-0 to Algeria in a play-off in Sudan after both sides finished level on points and goal difference during regular qualifying. Hassan Shehata is regarded as a coach with little patience for players‘ indiscipline, which is one of the major problem of the Nigeria team.

If you are planning a trip to South Africa for the Football World Cup Finals 2010

If you are planning a trip to South Africa for the Football World Cup Finals 2010, there are plenty of things to see and do to make the most of your trip.

*Swim with penguins
Swim with penguins on the Cape Peninsula next to the main penguin colony near Cape Town, South Africa. Enjoy a great view of the penguins from the specially constructed boardwalk which has been erected around the dunes.

*Ride on an Ostrich
Oudtshoorn, in the Karoo is home to hundreds of ostrich farms, where the more adventurous try ostrich riding. Amateurs can try their luck riding an ostrich in the desert area of Oudtshoorn. Strangely enough, as well as riding ostriches in this area of South Africa, you can also try some delicious ostrich recipes, including ostrich steaks and ostrich pate.

*Dive with Sharks
If you want to do something adventurous on holiday, swim with Great White Sharks in South Africa. Cage diving will provide you with an incredible adrenalin rush, and is fast becoming one of the most popular adventure sports in South Africa. Shark Alley is situated just a couple of hours drive from Cape Town in Gansbaal.

*A trip to Robben Island South Africa
No trip to South Africa is complete without a tour of Robben Island, Cape Town. This former penal colony was home to Nelson Mandela for 18 years of his life, and the tour guides are usually ex-prisoners from Robben Island who will explain the history of Robben Island. A trip to Robben Island is a unique tour, and gives you the chance to hear first-hand how life on the island was.

*Elephant Safari South Africa
Typically more temperamental than the Indian elephant, the African elephant is not normally ridden by tourists. Several lodges in South Africa now offer visitors the unique chance to ride an African elephant. Visit either Camp Jabulani, in Mpumalanga Province, Addo National Park or the Elephant Sanctuary.

*walk on the wild side South Africa
Situated in South Africa´s Eastern cape region, you will find some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. Drive up to the Eastern Cape region, and enjoy the isolated beaches and natural waterfalls and forests on foot. You can enjoy 5 day walking tours of South Africa, including overnight stays in shacks on the beach.

Egypt managed to climb 14 places to tenth place

The Africa Cup of Nations has had a major impact on the first FIFA World Ranking of the year. While Spain continue to occupy top spot ahead of Brazil and the Netherlands, Egypt managed to climb 14 places to tenth place after they successfully defended their title at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
This is not only Egypt’s highest-ever position in the ranking, but also the second-highest of any African team since the introduction of the ranking. They have only been bettered by Nigeria, who reached fifth place in April 1994. Other African teams also benefited from their performances in Angola. In the upper echelons of the ranking, semi-finalists Nigeria (15th, up 7) and finalists Ghana (27th, up 7) made considerable strides. Further down the ranking, Zambia (73rd, up 11) and Malawi (82nd, up 17) also made good progress.

African title means the world to Egypt

Victory at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations had a significance for coach Hassan Shehata and his Egyptian 'Pharaohs' far beyond a record third consecutive title.
They arrived in Angola last month desperate to prove they should have been among the five African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the first to be staged on the continent. And what better way to make that point than beat four of the five World Cup qualifiers who competed at the Nations Cup - Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria and Ghana.
The 4-0 semi-finals rout of the Algerian 'Desert Foxes' was especially sweet as this was the team that eliminated Egypt from the World Cup with a 1-0 play-off victory in Sudan last November.
Pre-tournament favourites Ivory Coast were the only World Cup qualifiers the 'Pharaohs' missed as the west Africans made a shock quarter-final exit to Algeria after an extra-time thriller.
Egypt got a taste for the big time in South Africa last year, competing in the World Cup dress-rehearsal Confederations Cup tournament, and far exceeded expectations by losing narrowly to Brazil before stunning Italy.
The triumph over the World Cup holders seemed to drain too much energy from the north Africans, though, and they crumbled 3-0 to the United States and were eliminated after the first round.
For the second Nations Cup in succession, the international media placed the 'Pharaohs' among the frontrunners but no one ventured so far as to suggest they could complete a title hat-trick.
Just as in Ghana two years ago when they defended a title won on home soil in 2006, the 'Pharaohs' were considered a spent force, full of ageing players in the twilight of their careers and incapable of conjuring up fresh heroics.
Add the loss through injury of team superstar Mohamed Aboutraika, fellow midfielders Mohamed Barakat and Mohamed Shawky and striker Amr Zaki to injury and it appeared the 2010 title defence was doomed to fail.
The absence of Aboutraika, scorer of the only goal in the 2008 final victory over Cameroon, was a particularly bitter blow as he ranks among the greatest African footballers never to play in Europe.
Shehata, a stern, silver-haired 60-year-old who succeeded Italian Marco Tardelli six years ago, was his usual quiet, media-shy self and if there were doubts he was not letting anyone know.
On the rare occasions he opens up in public, the former national team star
stresses teamwork over individual brilliance, and he also has an uncanny knack
of unearthing fresh talent.
Amr Zaki burst onto the international stage with a couple of goals in the
4-1 semi-final thrashing of Ivory Coast two years ago and this time it was the
turn of Mohamed 'Gedo' Nagy.
An attacking midfielder from the unfashionable Al-Ittihad club, Nagy was
the supersub who finished leading scorer at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations
with five goals while Samuel Eto'o bagged a meagre two and Didier Drogba one.
True to form, wily old fox Shehata kept Nagy on the bench until 19 minutes
from full-time in a dour final against Ghana when he replaced Emad Motaeb and
with extra time looming came his moment of glory.
Space suddenly appeared in a previously densely populated Ghana penalty
area and Nagy exchanged passes with Mohamed Zidan before curling the ball with
the outside of his right boot across Richard Kingson and into the far corner.
It was a goal worthy of winning any final and emphasised to the November 11
Stadium crowd and a multi-million television audience that the 2010 World Cup
will be a poorer tournament without the 'Pharaohs'.