Egypt squaring up against Algeria in the Fifa Arab Cup is ‘an opportunity to decrease tension’ between both countries, according to African football great Mohamed Aboutrika.
During the 2010 Fifa World Cup qualifiers between both countries in November 2009, there were disturbances before and after the games – which lead to diplomatic strains in Egypt, Algeria, and Sudan.
However, the draw for the competition organised to act as a preparatory competition to test the operational readiness of Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup which saw the Pharaohs zoned in Group D with the Desert Foxes as well as the winner of Lebanon v Djibouti and the winner of Libya v Sudan.
According to the two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner, seeing both teams square up against one another in the same group will help them resolve their problems.
“I’m very happy to be drawn with Algeria, it’s an opportunity to resolve problems and improve our relationship, respect, and love for one another. I love visiting Algeria very much, people are friendly, I love it, the country of a million martyrs,” Aboutrika said on beIN Sports per Kingfut.
“I hope the match will be an opportunity to decrease tension between both nations. I hope all teams will have their top players.
“I know how difficult it is for players abroad to participate. In Egypt, for example, Mohamed Salah will not be present.
“I would have liked to see Palestine qualify directly, I hope they qualify, no offense to Comoros. They should’ve made an exception for them.”
He also gave his own assessment of the North African side under the command of coach Hossam El-Badri, while giving tips on how they can thrive.
“The Egyptian national team needs more time and stability,” he continued.
“The coach should not be subjected to great pressure. If the team plays a bad match, 100 million people will attack the coach.”
“There are no training camps like the previous one and there are also no fans. All this affected the national team.
“We have stars in the team and technical staff at the highest level. Hossam El-Badri has great experience, with some support and stability and without any pressure, he will thrive.”
