Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is sending two airplanes with university students to support the Egyptian national football team in the final match of the African Cup of Nations.
The Egyptian national team will play against Senegal in the final on Sunday at nine pm, Cairo time, at Paul Biya Stadium, Olembé, in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé.
The Ministry of Higher Education said that it managed to provide financial support for the travel costs of these students through some sponsors. The universities also selected students nominated for this national mission through lists of distinguished students in various fields of student activities.
The head coach of the Egyptian team Carlos Queiroz will miss the match against Senegal. The Confederation of African Football decided to suspend Queiroz for two matches, in addition to a fine of $10,000, after he was sent off during the Pharaohs match against Cameroon.
“I am ready to pay the price of this outrageous and unfair punishment of missing the final. I feel proud and honored for that because I pay this price in my fight to protect you and our team from such arrogant behavior and what I expect and hope was only incompetency and nothing else,” Queiroz tweeted on Friday.
“We will reinforce with more power our ‘Spider Web Strategic’ that was built up, with your efforts and sacrifices, developing our winning team mentality,” he added.
Roger de Sa, Queiroz’s assistant, was previously suspended for four matches against the backdrop of the crisis that erupted between Egypt and Morocco teams, after their game in the quarter-finals.
Egypt defeated the host nation, Cameroon, in the semi-final. Egypt won Morocco in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations. The Egyptian team defeated Cote d’Ivoire in the round of 16.
The Egyptian national team is the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt won the tournament a record seven times, including the inaugural edition in 1957.
