Ex-Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa has issued an update on his future with the Egypt national team following their failure to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
De Sa is confident the Egyptian Football Association wants to retain his services as assistant coach to Carlos Queiroz.
Since September 2021, De Sa has been part of Queiroz’s backroom staff and together they helped Egypt finish fourth at the Fifa Arab Cup and reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.
But a failure to qualify for the World Cup after a defeat by Senegal, with Liverpool star Mohamed Salah leading their attack, the future of Queiroz and De Sa has been uncertain, with the former resigning from his post shortly after the match.
However, the former Bafana Bafana and Real Madrid coach's resignation has not yet been accepted by EFA.
“We will know in a couple of days whether the federation is keen to keep us on board. Carlos did say that he was resigning but it has not been accepted, I am certain that they want us to stay,” De Sa told Sunday World.
De Sa was also of the opinion that they have done a good job with Egypt and presented statistics recorded during their spell in charge.
“Considering the difficult circumstances, we lost eight defenders and had to go with our ninth-choice defender at some stage,” added De Sa.
“We held our own against a very strong and competitive Senegal team. Except for one, all their players are playing in the Uefa Champions League for the biggest teams in the world. We only have one or two players in the Champions League.
“We played 21 matches in six months and lost three games. We are now number four on the Africa rankings just after superpowers Senegal, Morocco and Nigeria.”
After being denied a World Cup spot, Queiroz posted on Twitter thanking his team for the effort.
“Dream is over. We try our best but today was not enough. From the bottom of my heart my gratitude to Egypt Federation for this honour of coaching the national team,” Queiroz wrote.
“To all my players and my staff, my recognition and humble thank you so much. You will be always in my heart.
“It was my privilege to work and be helped by such dedicated and capable professionals and wonderful friends.
“Without you, nothing could be possible for me in my life. I am very much proud of you Lads. My best wishes and enormous gratitude to all Egyptian fans. To the future.”
